


A Rabbit, A College, A Fox

by ReinicketheHulijing



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Almost smut, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Bunnyburrow (Zootopia), College, Developing Friendships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Inspired by Real Events, Inspired by Zootopia (2016), Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Smut, Original Character(s), Outback Island (Zootopia), POV Judy Hopps, POV Nick Wilde, Sex, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, What Was I Thinking?, Zootopia (City), Zootopia Police Department, a little fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 21:57:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 66,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17968781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReinicketheHulijing/pseuds/ReinicketheHulijing
Summary: The rabbit has done it. She has survived years of ridicule and parental pressure to turn away from her one goal. And now, it begins, as she leaves for college at the age of 19. A degree in Justice studies is her objective, and nothing is going to stop her. It won't be easy, so there cannot be anything that distracts her from her goal. No detours. No 'college' relationships. NO distractions allowed. If all goes according to her plan, she will be an officer by 24. She will solve a great case, and become a heroine for all of Zootopia. At least, that was the plan.Something is off. For one reason or another, something's changed in the universe. One canon event has been drastically altered, and has forever altered the progression of Judy Hopp's story. And, perhaps, the fate of a City. As she and her friend Sharla leave for Outback Island, and Watanobbi College, a life-altering force is barrelling down towards them, in the seat of a broken-down, slowly dying econo-convertible.





	1. The Prologue: Encounters of the strangest kind

**Author's Note:**

> This is the product of my fairly overactive imagination, and the incessant badgering of a friend who wanted me to write it down. The first thing to note, this is an AU. But, I plan to keep the AU as close to a divergent universe as possible. I am altering only one historical event in the story that we all know, and am doing my best to predict the path that history might take. As like in many time-travel/AU style stories, the timeline has a desire to self-correct to the Prime universe.
> 
> But, what this AU intends to address is a question I had of the original movie. We all know that Judy was about 24 when she went into the Academy, so why did she take 6 years to apply to the Academy? The simplest answer I have come up with is College.
> 
> As a Criminal Justice student myself, I have a fair grasp of the subjects involved and the types of teachers she would meet. Intentional or otherwise, some of my instructor’s personalities have leaked into the characters I have written. Sorry Davie, but if you’re reading this, you’re in it whether you want it or not.
> 
> Also, to address the likely question if this will turn to smut: its college. There is going to be a whole lot of uncensored conversations, and I won't pull anything they say for a more 'clean' approach. But, it's been determined that my smut-writing-skills suck at the moment, so. . . Sorry for those wanting full smut, but I shall endeavour to leave very little to your imaginations. It's a slow burn for the first few chapters, and I apologize/dont apologize greatly for that.
> 
> I own no character in here except for my original characters. All others are the property of Disney, as is the story and realm within that I write.

“I don’t know about this, Jude. It’s all so. . . sudden.” Stu Hopps murmured, standing by the door with his arms crossed, his face more worried than upset. Meanwhile, Judy quietly hummed to herself as she finished gathering up a few more articles of clothes and shoved them into the two suitcases on her bed.

“I know, Dad. But, hey, it’s closer than Zootopia at least.” The 19-year-old rabbit replied happily, as she picked up a few pill bottles off of the counter, along with several large textbooks, and shoved them into the bag. _Sudden_ , it was not. Ever since she was a little kid, she made it clear what she wanted to do with her life.

And then there was her one year off, practically mandated by her parents. Working at the family farm, she pretty much brought it up every day about how she was going to college and become a police officer. The only suddenness was her father’s realization that this was truly going to happen.

Meanwhile, her mother was there helping her grab a few things, bringing in a few stationary items and setting them into one of the two bags. “Now, Stu, you should be happy for your daughter. She’s going to Watanobbi College, with a scholarship. Rhett barely got in, even for agriculture. And, she’s not going to be alone, she’s going with Rhett and Sharla.”

Rhett. One of Judy’s older brother’s. He’d applied to every school in the tri-burrows area. They all rejected him. Judy often wondered why Watanobbi let him in, but, perhaps they decided to take a chance on him. Now, he was returning for the second year, only this time he was on academic probation.

Now, Judy was not supposed to know that. He’d come back to the warren with so much pomp pretending that he’d aced everything that could be done. But, unfortunately for him, Judy’d seen a letter from the college in the kitchen garbage that warned him about being on academic probation.

_It doesn’t count as snooping. Besides, he is quite insufferable, I had to see it._ “I still don’t like it. It just rubs me the wrong way. She’s going for criminal justice! How big are the mammals goin’ to be in there? And how many predators? With the Mayor’s ‘inclusion’ plan, who knows what mammals she’s going to be in class with. Weasels, otters, dingos, f-“ Her father began his umpteenth rant, before Bonnie bounded across the bedroom and covered his mouth with her hand.

“Pardon me, dear. I need to talk to your father outside for a moment. C’mon Stuie.” The matron rabbit practically growled, taking her mate’s hand and nearly dragging him out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind them. Judy had been shaking her head at her parents, until she heard the door latch click shut.

In a fluid motion, she crossed the distance to it quietly, and pressed her ear against the doorframe. With any luck, her parents would not have gone far, and her ears could pick up on their conversation. She barely had a moment before she heard her father’s voice. The Hopps were good parents, but they constantly forgot the ears their children possessed.

_“What’re you-“_

_“Shush, Stu!”_ Her mother shouted, nearly making Judy jump.

_“But Bon, our daughter’s trying to be a poli-“_ He started, before the matron rabbit interrupted again.

_“Well Stu, I don’t know if you noticed, but our daughter has turned down every single buck in Bunnyburrow!”_

There was a brief pause, causing Judy to hold in a giggle as she thought about the confused look that had to be on her father’s face. _“What does that have to do with Watanobbi?”_

A loud sigh came from her mother. _“Sometimes, Stu. Sometimes. . . If she finds a buck there she likes, she’ll settle down and give up on her dreams, Stu. Like I did, **remember**?”_

Judy clasped a hand over her mouth, trying to hold in a snort. _”Well, yeah. But, what makes you think that she’d find someone at the college?”_

_“One word, Stu. **Accents**. And, I’ll get Rhett to try and set her up with a few of his friends over there.” _Her mother finished her plan, unsurprising to Judy. Of course. That’s why she was so supportive. Figures.

Suddenly, her dad seemed excited. _“Hey! That’s a great plan, Bonnie! That way she’ll settle down back here, start having kits, and we’ll all be one happy, SAFE family!”_

Holding in the groan almost killed Judy, but a smirk began to appear. _“Hell, I don’t even care if it’s a rabbit. A hare, a chinchilla, something. Just something so she’d be happy and settle down.”_

 _“This could really work, Bon. I am so darn happy, I could binkie! If it wouldn’t throw my back out.”_ Her father chuckled, slightly painfully.

 _“Right, Stu. Now, let’s go back to our daughter. And BE SUPPORTIVE this time.”_ She responded. Approaching footfalls reached Judy’s ears, so she quickly tip-toed back to the bed to finish arranging the last of her clothes, a large smirk beaming. _So, mom thinks I’m going to jump into bed with some college buck, huh? Fat chance, Mom._

A metallic squeak announced her parents’ entrance, their light rabbit footfalls filling the room. “I’m sorry about my lack of support, Judith. I should be focusing on how proud I am. I mean. . . Outback Island! That’ll be a fun adventure! The nice waters, the beautiful hills and trees. And, all those. . . _Boys_?” Stu began, receiving yet another quick swat from his mate.

Good ol’ Stu, couldn’t keep a good secret if it killed him. She loved her dad, but sometimes he could be too obvious. “There’ll probably be boys there. But, like I’m going to have time for that. After all, I need good grades in order to get into the Academy, right?” Judy murmured, as she shut the lid of one trunk, a not so inconspicuous bulge showing as she forcefully zipped it up. She only had to endure this for a few more minutes. . .

“W-well, try to have a little fun. Don’t get too caught up in your homework, a nice mammal might pass you by. Honestly, Judy, we’re both so happy for you. We hope you have a lot of fun, but, please come and visit us. And call us every night, okay?” Her mother asked after a brief moment, clearly concerned about what she’d said.

Judy let out a snort, coupled with a grunt as she zipped up the last of the suitcases. “Of course, I’ll call as often as I can, mom. But the visiting, that’ll be up to Rhett.” Unfortunately, she would have to carpool with her older brother, since she didn’t have a car of her own. She was too busy saving money for college, after all. Her parents decided that was a good enough reason to pile them both together.

Luckily, she wouldn’t have to endure the 133-mile-journey only with her brother. “W-well, I’m sure he’ll. . .” Her mother began, before a sound interrupted her thoughts.

 _Beep-beeeeep_. Looking out the window, Judy smiled at the sight of her roommate and friend’s parents’ vehicle. The sheep herself was already out of the car, pulling suitcases out of the back. Oh, good. A reason to get out of this uncomfortable situation. “Well, Sharla’s here, so I’d better get down there. Don’t want to keep her or Rhett waiting.” Judy quipped, grabbing one suitcase and dragging it behind as she headed out of her room and down the stairs to the main room.

“O-oh, h-here, I’ll help!” Her dad exclaimed, grabbing the last suitcase and following his daughter quietly. Her mother, on the other hand, followed quietly as her mate bounced the suitcase off the stair bannisters.

Judy did not look back as she sped towards the entrance as soon as she landed at the base of the stairs. Unfortunately, she did not manage to get past Pop-Pop Hopps, lingering by the door with his typical scowl.

“Ah, Trudy! Before ye go off to ye fancy college, I need to talk to ye!” The growly, unagreeable lagomorph turned to his granddaughter. With a cringy smile, the formerly bounding rabbit halted. Otto Hopps was the oldest in the Hopps family and had earned a lot of respect for it. But the truth of the matter was that he was very old-fashioned in opinion, and often suffering from bouts of dementia. That, and he could not remember anyone’s name no matter how hard they might try.

“Yeees, Pop-Pop?” She murmured, as her father finally managed to get down the stairs with a crash. For some reason, Judy had a suspicion that whatever he had to say was going to be pretty offensive to someone, at least.

“Yer going out inta the big world now, Terry. Lots a predators n’ things ‘round them parts. Most’re all right but watch out fer foxes. Foxes are red because they were made by the devil!” Pop-Pop exclaimed, the very same phrase he’d been spilling all his life.

But it wasn’t worth the effort to contradict him. He was too far gone, even for remembering her name. She quickly gave him a hug, hopefully disarming a longer conversation. “Yes, Pop-Pop. I know. I will keep an eye out for foxes. I’ll miss you, and everyone. I’ll be back around winter break, hopefully. But I need to go now. See you!”

Her gambit worked, as she deftly rotated around the older gentlemammal, before slipping out of his arms and heading out the front door. Looking around, she quickly caught sight of Sharla, pulling the last of her suitcases out of her parents car.

As she walked up, she could hear her parents bidding her goodbye, before they drove away in a flurry of dust and dirt. Approaching Sharla, she took in the sight of her high school best friend.

The small black sheep, dressed in her atypical overalls, was surrounded by three large suitcases. Shaking her head, Judy wondered why she ever expected Sharla to ‘pack light’. But, Sharla’s face and body posture was one for concern. Her face was long, the upset frown clearly visible. Her head was hanging a bit, before she looked up at the rabbit approaching her.

Judy knew why. It was about Dan, Sharla’s high school sweetheart. Only a few weeks ago, he’d broken up with her since she was going to college. Apparently, he didn’t think their relationship would last in a long-distance format. Perhaps not wrong, but, Sharla was still put out because of it.

“Hey, Judy.” She said, barely more than a mumble as she faked a smile. Judy returned the smile, trying to show a brave face.

“Hey, Sharla. . . I know you’re upset, because of that asshole, but. . .” Judy began, but stopped when the mere mention of him caused the sheep to look back to the ground, kicking nearby rocks half-heartedly.

“I know. He’s an idiot, a fool, and I deserve better and will find better. I know. Doesn’t change the way I feel right now, though.” Sharla responded.

Judy’s ears drooped, as she hugged the large sheep. “Don’t worry. Those College boys will be lining up to date you. You’re going to have so many options, you won’t know what to do with yourself. You’ll get so many hits on Zinder, you’ll need an administrative assistant to handle it.”

Through the hug, Judy felt and heard her friend let out a few laughs at the thought. “Yeah, I’m going to have to beat them off with a stick. Maybe I’ll post a few to my Zootagram, get him and his friends all jealous.”

Judy smiled, as they both stepped back from the hug. “Sounds like a plan.”

Meanwhile, a low rumble caused the two to look to their left, seeing the large blue pickup approaching them. Rhett’s, of course. Her brother had gotten a deal on a used pig-modelled pickup. It required a little modification, but he managed to make it work for him. He argued it was because the price was unbeatable; but Judy had a bet on a ‘size complex’ problem Just her opinion, thought.

 _Beep-beeeep_. As if hearing her thoughts, Rhett obnoxiously laid on the horn. “Get your stuff loaded already!” Rhett shouted, barely acknowledging them as he stopped the truck beside them.

She shrugged at Sharla, who was frowning with disapproval. Judy turned and dragged her suitcase towards her brother’s ridiculous truck. 

The two mammals focused on loading their suitcases, briefly talking what they hoped their dorm would be like. Her brother did not bother getting out to help, although Judy’s parents finally caught up just as the two loaded the last of the sheep’s suitcases. Clearly, the two must have been caught by Pop-pop and his stories. Her father had to stop and take a breath, but by the time he’d turned around, his ‘little’ daughter had swung the last one into the back of the pickup.

With the last case loaded, Judy turned to her parents. “Well, I’ll see you in-“ She began, before being enveloped in her parents arms.

“We’re gonna miss you Jude. Call us EVERY day, okay?” Her mother spoke, the concern palpable in her voice. She froze, before rolling her eyes. She gave them a brief hug back, before Rhett yelled yet again.

“Yeah, yeah, see ya mom, we got to go!” The rude male rabbit yelled. Judy let out a huff, as her parents pulled away. Sharla had already crawled into the front bench seat, sitting next to Rhett.

Judy turned back to her parents with a smile, looking at both in turn. “I’ll miss you. I’ll call you tonight after we’re settled in.” She exchanged a short kiss with both her parents, before jumping into the waiting cab. She’d barely grabbed the seatbelt before her brother began driving, earning a glare from the small female rabbit as she clicked it into the holder.

But, he would not discourage Judy. This was going to be everything she ever wanted, and her slimy brother was not going to diminish it. Turning to Sharla, she let out a little squeal of joy. “We’re finally going to College! I can’t wait to meet my instructors!”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but my concerns lie solely with the boys, for now.” Sharla exclaimed in response. Judy gave the sheep a half-frown, although she had to admit that at least she was on that subject instead of Dan. Judy secretly hoped that the pursuit for Dan’s replacement wouldn’t hamper her studies. A nursing program was not going to be easy, even if Sharla was particularly brilliant. 

Judy shrugged, before continuing. “Well, at least we’ll be bunked together. Did you get the email that our roommates changed?” Luckily, Judy and Sharla were able to get into a four-person dorm together. But, thanks to some last-minute scheduling issue, their other roommates were now unknown. Rhett had thankfully refused to give up his single suite in the Koala House, even at their parent’s requests. That would have been unbearable.

“Oh, no, I was so looking forward to meeting Max and Rheba.” Sharla whined, disappointed. They’d gotten to know their previous two through emails and exchanged bio information. “Do we know who’s replacing them?”

Judy shrugged. “No, it wasn’t in the email. We’ll find out when we get there, I guess. So, what’s the first thing that you want to do as soon as we get there?”

And for three long hours, they both talked about what they wanted to do when they got to Outback Island. Meanwhile, Rhett ignored them and did the worst possible lip-sync to music, all the way there. He barely would acknowledge them at all on the trip.

* * *

As the door latch clicked, and the tall door swung open, Judy couldn’t contain a few small hops of excitement. Rhett had promptly dropped them both off at their dorm, speeding off to whatever party his friends planned. 

But Judy and Sharla didn’t mind. After picking their key up at the College office, they rushed over to Unit M-A112. Their new home; at least for the next two semesters. Well, their and two others’ home, whom they had yet to meet. This building was for medium animals, but that left a lot of options. Judy, on the very low end of that ‘medium’, had occupied much of their trip postulating on what their new roommates would be.

Unfortunately, the sight on the other side of the door suggested they were the only ones there. Straight across the door was a coat closet and shoe rack, with a stairway up and down to the left. The empty closet and shoe rack indicated that their roommates had yet to arrive, or so they figured.

“You know what this means?” Her head-and-a-half taller friend asked, as she turned to face Judy. Judy smiled curiously back, unsure of what Sharla could mean.

“We might be done unpacking before they get here?” Judy asked, somewhat confused by what Sharla meant.

“No, we get to claim all the good storage spots!” The sheep shouted gleefully, as both began to carry their suitcases up the stairs. The rabbit shook her head most of the way. 

The basement, they had been told, was just empty storage and a maintenance room. The maintenance room was locked, as management didn’t want anyone tampering with it. With only a water tank and some plumbing in it, that made sense.

The first floor opened into a kitchen, complete with a four-person dining table. To their right, there was a bathroom and a storage room, with an entryway to the small living room on the left. But priority, naturally, was on the bedrooms, so they continued up the flight of stairs to the final level.

At the top of the stairs, there was a room marked ‘D’ on the right. They had already been assigned rooms before they arrived. Sharla, on the other hand, had paid the extra money for the large room, B. With how many suitcases she brought with her, Judy could not blame her.

The room to the left, marked ‘A’, was Judy’s. Judy opened the door, revealing a large (for her) room. Inside the room, there was a single-sized bed a little big for a rabbit, a small desk and chair, and a closet behind the door. Judy smiled to herself, dragging the first of her suitcases into her room. She admired it for a moment, thinking about how many hours she’d spend there, studying. Then she heard a loud gasp from her friend down the hall.

Sticking her head out the door, she looked further down the hall to see Sharla standing in the doorway at the end of the hall. “Oh. My. Wool,” Sharla spoke barely more than a whisper. Judy hopped down the hall, concern showing on her face.

“What is it, Shar?” She asked, innocently, as she passed a small closet on the left and another bathroom to the right. Sharla slowly walked into the room, and Judy finally got a chance to see her roommate’s space. Judy’s face went from concern to a frown. It was as big as hers, and half again. A slightly larger bed was tucked in the corner, a desk beside it, and a closet twice as wide as Judy’s.

Judy let out a sigh. “Happy enough?” She said slyly, as Sharla turned to face her with a huge grin. The sheep giggled as she set her first suitcase on the bed. 

“Yep!”

They spent the next two hours unpacking, and the sun began to disappear. They assigned sections of the fridge, organized their clothes and paperwork, and eventually investigated the other two rooms. _Hey, they aren’t here, they can’t tell me otherwise._ Growing up with bunnies, she learned a long time ago that privacy in any house was near impossible.

She was suddenly lucky she did not get room C or D. Both were way smaller than hers, to the point where D was almost ridiculous. Half of the closet was disturbed by the fact that the stairs ran up through it. C, which shared a wall with Sharla, was barely larger, and was beside the upstairs sink and bathroom. Just the thought of her over-sensitive ears having to hear it flush every night was enough to turn her away.

Interestingly, no roommates showed up. Which was strange, considering New Student Orientation started at 8 a.m. Then everyone had to run off for their own classes for individual program orientation. Whoever their roommates were, they were going to be in for a late start tomorrow morning.

But, that was not her problem, Judy thought, as she once again looked around her organized room. ZPD posters plastered the walls, and books and writing supplies were already covering her desk. At the foot of her bed, her backpack was filled with all the stuff she would need for tomorrow’s class. 

After an angsty but short phone-call with her parents with too many ‘did you meet someone’ questions, she let out a long sigh. That was it, she was done for the day. As she laid her head down on her pillow, she drifted off with thoughts of tomorrow.

* * *

_Thump._ The loud, unwanted noise awoke Judy. Looking across at the alarm clock on her desk, she was annoyed to see 2:00 a.m. Judy briefly wondered if she imagined the noise, but then she heard voices from below. “Ay-de-ay, I think ah’m a little tip-t-tipsey.” A gruff, slurred voice came from the stairwell, as her ears registered footfalls.

“Oh really? Never noticed.” A far soberer voice responded. _Must be our roommates_ , Judy thought with a snort. Two males, judging by the voices. She suddenly regretted not knowing anything about them. Being able to cuss them out with their names would be nice right about now.

Another, slightly quieter thump sounded as they appeared to reach the final landing for the bedrooms. “T-Thank yah a-agin, dude.” The gruffer voice called out, appearing to trail down the hall.

“Well, we’re Canids, we stick together, right? Plus, roommates.” The other voice continued. So, her roommates were both male canids. That at least narrowed the list of options. Also, they were partiers, by the sounds of it.

Another thud came from the direction of the upstairs bathroom. Her best guess was that the badly drunk one had been deposited in a bed. “Nighty-night, Chrys,” the other voice murmured, identifying her drunk roommate’s name as Chris.

Approaching footprints signalled the return of the soberer one, before she heard the door across from hers open and shut. Remembering the size of those rooms, she suddenly pitied them. Unless they were one of the smaller canids, they were probably cramped. 

As silence once again descended, Judy felt her mind begin to lose its grasp on consciousness. Soon, she drifted back to sleep. That is, before her 6 a.m. alarm went off.

* * *

Strangely enough, they did not see either of their new roommates in the morning. The one named ‘Chris’ was snoring loudly in his room, while the unknown canid was already gone before first light. While New Student Orientation was not mandatory, Judy thought it was foolish for them to miss out.

Then again, the other roommate may have been there, for all she knew. In either case, it was boring, even by Judy’s standards. First, introductions to facilities and people of import. President Julia Farlig, a Kangaroo, led the orientation for most of that part. Then, they began to discuss to some of the available things on campus, the food bank, and more fun stuff.

Then the inevitable long film on sexual assault and the concept of consent. Of course, being college, it was more than relevant. More parades of introductions and directions came, until finally it ended for lunch.

They finished their lunches quickly, Sharla’s head on a swivel as she inspected the local fauna. If Judy didn’t think it would cause a fight, she’d jokingly bring up the discussion on consent again. After all, she sure looked more predatorial than sheepish now.

But then lunch passed, and they both had to go to their individual program orientations. Judy’s was in her afternoon class in the Aardvark Wing, with an instructor named D. Zumaz. Since it was her law class, Judy was nervous about this teacher.

Would he like her? Was he a good teacher, dry teacher, funny teacher? There was only one way to find out, she thought, as she walked into the classroom fifteen minutes before class began.

The classrooms were designed to be as inclusive as possible in the university, even though for decades the only applicants to the Criminal Justice program were large animals. The mayor’s initiative prompted a change on that front. At the front, a few rows of tiny desks were built for small animals. That was followed by rows for medium animals, and then large at the back.

Only the large seats had a few animals in them, between a few rhinos and elephants, and the occasional wolf pretending to be larger than they were. At the front of the class was an older Jaguar, who Judy could only guess was Mr. Zumaz.

A small part of her wanted to sit with the large group, but the glares her entry gained from some suggested she was better off sitting elsewhere. Besides, she wanted to be as close to the teacher as she possibly could; having to look over or around a rhino was not a good way to spend the semester. She strode up to the front row of the medium seats, and sat on the right side, closes to the teacher’s desk.

She grabbed her Criminal code, opened her binder, and grabbed a bunch of multicoloured pens. The teacher had looked at her from his desk for a moment, yellow eyes shining, before he started setting up a PowerPoint on the projector. _Well, it wasn’t a look of distain. I think?_ She subconsciously decided to bet on the best. But, she would not be surprised if some of the ‘old guard’ would not be happy with the new inclusion initiatives.

FWith five minutes left on the clock, she sat there smiling pleasantly towards the teacher, who turned away from his computer to start writing things on the board. Mentally psyching herself up, she was ready for anything.

 _Scraaape_. The chair next to her screamed as it was pulled across the linoleum. There was another medium animal in this class? Who, apparently wanted to sit next to her? A thump told her that whoever it was had sat down, followed by a small scoot of the chair moving back in.

Turning to her right, she looked to see who her new neighbour was.

Bright green eyes locked with hers, as sharp teeth surrounded by a muzzle of russet red and cream smiled down at her. A dark brown paw lay outstretched toward her. She stared at the vulpine, the warning from her grandfather returning to her mind.

Despite the funny look on her face, the grin on his did not falter. 

“Nick Wilde. Pleased to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the prologue is done. Leave a kudos if you liked it, ask anything or let me know anything in the comments. I plan to get one done every week, but, I have real college, so no promises.


	2. What the Fox?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to get it done a little earlier. Still as slow a burn as an ion engine.
> 
> I own no rights to Zootopia or the characters therein. Only my original characters belong to me, and they have yet to rear their ugly heads. Which is good news, they're pretty messed up.

* * *

For a moment, Judy stared him down, looking from the black ears on his head to his black hind paws. She was no biologist, but she was pretty sure this was a fox. A fox, just like Gideon Grey.

_But not Gideon Grey, Judy. Don’t do that to someone you just met._ She reminded herself. Being surrounded by prejudice people had a tendency to rub off on a person. But, she was better than her parents, right? Although, that still didn’t account for why a fox would sit next to her, of all mammals.

One vulpine brow went up, reminding Judy that she was just sitting there silently, checking him out, with an unflattering look on her face. Thinking on why he sat there would have to wait, she needed to respond before she weirded him out any further.

She smiled back at him, taking his paw and shaking it. “Nice to meet you, Nick. I’m Judy Hopps.” She responded confidently, as the handshake ended. 

His grin widened, or so it seemed, until he turned away for a second. “Good to meet you, Judy Hopps.” He responded, while he began grabbing notebooks and pens from his backpack.

With his black paws continuing to root around in the bag, he turned his head back to face Judy. “So, are you from Podunk, or, where?” He asked absentmindedly, continuing to dig in his bag with increasing curiosity. Judy almost snorted, thinking how it looked like he was digging a den.

“No, I’m from Bunnyburrow. Podunk is in Deerbrook County. What about you?” Judy responded in kind. She had to admit, so far, he was nicer than Gideon ever was. Also, lither, but, she could not really hold that against Gideon.

Nick let out an “Aha!”, as he finally pulled his own Criminal Code from his bag, setting it on the corner of his desk. Satisfied, he turned his whole body to face her, his fluffy tail slowly cycling back and forth behind him. “Zootopia; Sahara Square, specifically. . . Bunnyburrow, huh? Never been out there before.” 

Judy couldn’t help the grinning smile on her face, although it had little to do with what Nick was saying. Instead, she felt quite vindicated. Her parents always told her, oh, don’t trust this predator or that predator.

And yet, here she was, having a civilized conversation with what they thought was the worst one. She smirked, thinking about how her parents would’ve reacted to seeing the two of them talking. “Well, that’s fair, I’ve never been to Zoo-“

_Thud_. A loud clamour at the front of the room caused them both to turn. The noise originated from Mr. Zumaz, who had dropped his own code down on his desk. Even the large animals in the back quieted down from the heavy glare the Jaguar was giving to the entire classroom, as his eyes roamed back and forth.

Taking a brief check around, Judy noticed there were a few more medium animals in the class, but almost none of them dared to sit together. She wondered why, but she didn’t have much time to think on it before the Jaguar emerged from behind his desk and walked in front of the large white boards.

“My name is Dave.” She whipped her head around, looking back at the teacher whose face was still serious. “Not Mr. Zumaz. Not Sir, not Teacher, not professor. _Dave_. That number up there on the board?” He spoke, lifting a hand to point at a felt marker scribble of numbers on the board. 

“That is my personal cell phone. If you need help in this course, or others, you can text me, or call me, and I will respond. Eventually. , , The number next to it,” He gestured to a jumble of numbers and letters on the board, which clearly was a college room designation by it’s format. 

“, is my office number. My office hours are listed on Canvas, but if you need to see me at a time outside of those numbers, contact me and we will work something out. Because I am here to make sure that every one of you pass this course.” His voice filled the room with authority, and she had no doubt he was a former police officer with that skill. 

His eyes scanned across the room, clearly trying to look everyone in the eyes, before his stare halted on what seemed to be the fox beside him. “And this program, as well. I’m, y’know, old and crazy and shit, so I plan to stay here for a while.” The class murmured a laugh in response, as Judy smiled. The Jaguar began to walk around the room with long, dedicated strides. 

“Do not call me for legal advice when you get in trouble. Do _not_ call me drunk from the back of a police car.” Judy chuckled, as did the class. “The only advice you’ll be given is ‘you’re going to need a lawyer, please hand the phone to the police’. And I’ll tell the police just what to do with you.”

He stopped his pace, somewhere near the back of the room. He picked up the Criminal Code of the student nearest him, a young-looking water buffalo. The buffalo, despite his size, looked quite spooked by the Jaguar. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it back. This, is now your bible. Eat with it, shower with it, sleep with it, and live it. Well, maybe don’t shower with it; The pages are rice paper, so they’d probably disintegrate. . . . The rules within this book are far more binding than any other, especially since the consequences are real. Your gods are now the Supreme Court. Their word is law, and binding. As some of our political leaders have found out, don’t mess with the gods, you will not win.”

More chuckles erupted in the room, as all eyes continued to watch Dave. “Now, this class is Procedural Law. Literally, the process of law, how this book works and how the legal system works. This class is essential for you to pass every other law class, as well as several other classes you will be taking.” 

He gave the book back to the student, uttering a quick ‘thank you’ before continuing his patrol around the room. “Our first module will be learning how to read the Criminal Code. Now, while I am sure you all can read – at least I hope admissions checked that – This is different.” He murmured, causing Judy and a few others around the room to laugh.

“Reading the Criminal Code is not as easy. It’s written in Legalese, meaning words have either absolute meaning, such as ‘and’ verses ‘or’, or can be more loosely interpreted, such as ‘may’, It is also split into sections, and parts, with an index that can be incomprehensible to the uninitiated.”

The class was almost deadly silent, probably horrified from realizing that they would need to do work in College. Unlike them, Judy was aware of that, and had been flipping through the code a lot lately. “But we’ll cover the index in the next module. This is one of the most important classes you will have. Without it, you will be hard-pressed to understand any law. And, if everyone can turn to Section 19 of the Criminal Code, what does that section say?”

Judy practically exploded with movement, grabbing her Criminal Code. She opened it and was flipping through the pages voraciously when a voice rang out above the din of turning pages. From beside her. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” Nick called out, arms crossed with a way too satisfied look on his face. Judy looked at his Criminal Code, still unopened on his desk.

Dave had a small frown on his face. “ _Is_ that what it says there? Is anyone willing to offer another answer?” Judy’s ears stood back on end, and she quickly looked back down at her code, flipping the pages to Section 19. She didn’t really know the fox but proving his smug butt wrong would be fun. She read quickly, and her ears drooped.

“Yeah, he’s right.” She practically groaned. How did the fox know that already? She looked over at the fox, who had now opened his book to the right page, still smugly smiling. Maybe he’d taken this course before? He did look older than most of the people there. . . That was probably it, right?

“Yes. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Can anyone tell me what that phrase means?” Dave asked, looking around the room.

Judy quickly threw her hand in the air, catching Dave’s attention as he looked at her and nodded. “It means that you cannot use ignorance as a defence. You cannot say that you did not know what you were doing was illegal as a reason why you shouldn’t be charged.” Judy spoke. From behind the two, there was light grumbling from the larger animals, although she could not make anything specific out.

“Correct. You cannot go and murder Timmy, then say ‘Duuuh, but I didn’t know it was illegal’.” Chuckling ensued from the whole class. “And this refers to an important principle of law. The only way a law can be a law is if it is made known to everyone, or in this case, made available to everyone. If you don’t stop to check if something is illegal before you do it, then that is your problem, not the law’s. Now, the Criminal code has 849 sect. . .” He began, but Judy was busy looking over at the fox with a smug smile on her face.

He, on the other hand, returned a very mischievous one, which made the corners of her mouth twitch. What was the canid thinking about? Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. The smug smile widened, as she steeled her will. _Try all you like, Foxy boy. But I’M getting the highest marks in this class._

The battle between the two for supremacy would continue the entire class. By the end of it, Dave was asking questions starting with ‘Can anyone BUT these two tell me. . .’ It upset the competition a little, but both were still smugly smiling at one another. And then, the class was over.

The sounds of books closing, backpacks zipping, and pencils and pens being scattered everywhere filled the room. “Remember, Class, go to the Theatre down the hall, that is where we are holding our MANDATORY program orientation. You all get to have your photos taken, isn’t that sweet.”

“That was fun. You’re fairly good at this.” Nick spoke to Judy, as he finished packing his stuff away. Judy responded with a chuckle, as she finished ramming her stuff into her own pack.

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself. If you work at it, maybe someday you’ll be as good as me.” She responded aloofly, causing a sharp laugh to come out of the fox’s maw as he stood up.

“Oh, by the way!” Dave called out, before anyone left the room. “All of _you_.” He gestured to all the animals in the medium rows, going over it twice so that everyone’s eyes in that row saw him. “Stay for a moment. I’d like a word.”

Judy’s eyebrows furrowed, as her ears drooped. Nick sat back down beside her with a huff. The rest of the class shuffled out quickly, and soon they were left alone in the room with the teacher. There were only about nine in total. A few beavers, an otter, an armadillo, and some others. Part of Judy wondered why he wanted to talk to just the ‘mammal inclusion initiative’ animals, but the rest of her felt they already knew. And she was not going to like it one bit.

She didn’t need to stew long, as he started speaking right after he closed the door. “Don’t worry, you won’t be late for the orientation. Now, you all are here because the Mayor has recently implemented the mammal inclusion initiative. Some people here think it is a bad idea, and that you have no place in this program. Right now, I am going to tell you that they are _wrong_.”

Judy’s eyebrows went up. Dave looked over to the fox, with a slight grin in the corner of his mouth. “You are as capable as anyone else in this classroom, and probably much more than a lot of the people who come through this program. I said this to everyone before, but if you need help with any of your classes, any of your projects, you can call me at any time of day or night, and I’ll answer. I will make time for you if you make the effort to contact me before anyone else.”

“Moreover, if you think one of your instructors is being harder on you than they should be, _let me know_. I’m the Chair here, and I’ll have a little talk with the Dean, if necessary. Now, you’ve all _for sure_ got my number off the board?”

The smaller class nodded, the Jaguar mimicking the action. “Good. Now, get yourselves down to the theatre, I’ll be there shortly.” He turned around and began to pack up his laptop and other materials in a shoulder bag, emblazoned with the logo of the ZPD.

Judy looked at Nick, who smiled back at her. She’d never expected a teacher to stand up for the smaller mammals like that, despite how much she hoped they would be nice. Judy stood up, the fox quickly imitating the action.

Judy went up to Dave, not even bothering for the door. “I just want to say thank you, sir. For. . . all that.” Dave looked up from his stuff for a moment. 

“First, it’s Dave, not sir. Never sir. And, don’t thank me. I’m here to make sure everyone succeeds, and I will be damned before I let other teachers hold students back. And I personally like the idea that the first smaller mammal in the ZPD will be one of my students. I’m a prideful bastard like that.” He smiled, before he noticed the fox standing behind. The smile disappeared. “ _You_. Stay for a moment. I need to have a word with you.”

Judy glanced back at the fox, who was smiling lightly as he nodded to Dave. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t any of her business. Don’t worry, Dave, I’m going to make your wish come true, she thought to herself. “I’ll see you at the orientation.” She said, turning and walking out the door. Either Dave was about to chew out the fox, or who knows. She didn’t want to speculate

Just as she stepped out into the hall, she heard Dave begin “So, Mr. Wilde, we have some things we need to. . .” Before the voice quieted as she walked quickly down the hall. Carrying her backpack, she began to ponder how it would feel to finally get that badge after the academy. Privately, she hoped Dave would be in the audience for that day.

She found the theatre quickly and headed down to the first row that would fit her. Again, she didn’t join this program to sit in the back and stand idly by. It cost way too much for that kind of behaviour. She took a seat right in the middle, tucking her backpack under her seat.

The seats in the theatre had a small foldable desk-piece. She folded it out and pulled out a pen and paper from her back. Whatever it was going to be about, it might be good to take notes. After all, if she had the ability to be prepared, why-

“Whatcha thinking about, Carrots?” A voice called from beside her head, causing her to jump a foot high. Turning her head to the left, heart pounding and ears erect, she saw the surprised face of none other than Nick Wilde. “Uh, hi?” He murmured with a shrug.

“Why are you following me?” She responded, hand to her chest as she breathed deeply to calm her heartrate. Suddenly, the fox looked very sheepish.

“We’re in the same classes, in the same theatre. What, we can’t sit together? Is it something I said?” The fox answered, his arms crossing with a frown forming on his mouth. 

She felt a slight pang of guilt, although, that didn’t change her current heartrate. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s fine, but scaring the crap out of me was a little uncalled for. Maybe get a bell, or something.” She said, trying to put a little more levity in her voice. 

“Well, I didn’t _mean_ to scare you. I just figured since we have this whole ‘competition-style’ attitude going on, I might as well get to know the enemy. And. . . No to the bell.” He responded with a shake of his head, his voice suddenly getting aloof as he leaned back in his chair.

She smirked at him. “Fine, no bell. And, perhaps you’re right. After all, I may be winning now, but extending my lead wouldn’t hurt.” She spoke slyly, as she played with her pen, grinning mischievously.

“Hey, I am going to have to dispute that whole ‘already winning now’ claim. While you might have answered more questions, the questions I answered were worth more.” He mused, as leaned forward again, tucking his own backpack beneath him.

She snorted, loudly. “Oh, and what grading scale have you used to determine that? Should we go and ask Dave for his opinion?” Judy retorted, thinking curiously on what their private conversation was about. It wasn’t his 

“Well, if we want to bother him by asking, you go ahead. I choose life. . . Wow, these chairs suck.” He responded, letting out a big sigh as wiggled in his chair a bit, quickly working to tuck his tail in front of him and out of sat-on danger.

Looking over, she was quite impressed with how bushy and soft his tail looked. She wondered just how soft it was. . . _No, that’d be pretty weird to ask. Don’t be weird, Jude_. She shook her head. “Yeah, have fun with that, _slick_. He’ll look at me like I was nuts. . . . . Wait,” She turned to face the fox. “Did you call me ‘Carrots’?”

He looked at her. “Yeah, I did, what of it?” He spoke, that aloofness carrying on.

“You’re going to want to refrain from calling me _Carrots_.”

“Well that’s going to be tough for you, _Carrots_. Cause I like nicknames.”

“You’re going to regret it.”

“Oh, I don’t think-“ He began, before being cut off.

“G’day, everyone. My name is Koran Kandallor, and I am the Dean for the Criminal Justice and Corrections programs.” A large Kangaroo, whom they did not notice step out to the front of the stage, began talking. Both the fox and the rabbit turned to face the front, the conversation duly halted. Lined up to his right and left were several mammals, Dave among them.

 _They must be the rest of the teachers_ , Judy pondered. “You’ll be seeing a lot of me this ‘ear if you’re in Corrections, and the rest of the instructors ‘ere.” Judy quietly congratulated herself on the guess, although it was a little too obvious. “This will be a hard semester for all of you.”

The kangaroo’s voice deepened, as he began to pace around the stage. “In this program, you will learn the ins and outs of the criminal justice system. The controversies, the hatred, and the failures. But, you will also learn of the honour, and hope. But first, we need to get you through your first year. . . I know that, back when I started ‘bout twenty-five years ago, that. . . “

And thus, they were treated to yet another lecture, although far less educational than the last one. After his story, he introduced the instructors one by one. Dave himself gave a small speech about a volunteer club. Judy reminded herself to check that out soon.

And then, the Watanobbi College Student Association had the floor. A fairly nervous looking goat took the stage and began talking slowly about all the services they offered. His speech started with an ‘uuhhh, hi’, and did not get better.

 _“I bet he lost the vote for presenter.”_ The whisper crawled out of the fox’s muzzle, dangerously close to her right ear. She turned to her right, coming muzzle to muzzle with his large, black nose. Her brow furrowed, as she looked from his nose to the glowing green eyes above it.

He nodded in the direction of the goat, who was still clearly not having a good time. _“He’d probably trade places with me, no questions asked._ ” Looking back at the goat, she smiled slightly. 

The fox was right, he did not look comfortable up there. But, that was no reason to be cruel, at least the goat was doing it. _“Give him a break. He’s trying his best. I honestly doubt you’d do better.”_ She responded, looking back at him with a smirk. 

The fox grinned back at her. _“Oh, making judgements about me already, huh? I am so hurt, Carrots. Not even giving me the benefit of the doubt, ouch.”_ He whispered back. Judy just frowned at the fox. So far, he didn’t seem like a bad friend to make. _Take that one, dad. I might have a fox friend._

The goat, on the other hand, was as bad as Nick inferred. They suffered through the entire five-minute speech of ums and uhhs, before Dave once again returned to the stage. “Now, before you all go, you need to get your picture taken. Consider it your first mug shot.”

The Jaguar paused, a smirk appearing. “Well, hopefully your first mug shot, or we might need to have a talk about your academic future. It’s to make it easier for the instructors to remember names and faces. Although, some of you will be too familiar by semester’s end, photo or not.”

A small amount of chuckling came from the audience, as people began to get up out of their chairs. Nick was the first to rise of the pair, as a line began to form in front of a small camera setup. Judy quickly followed, getting in line right behind the fluffy crimson tail. 

From all sides, they were surrounded by much larger mammals. Wolves, lions, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants; it was a somewhat intimidating environment for a rabbit who grew up in Bunnyburrow. But, the city-fox didn’t bat an eye, and she found herself sticking close to him as the line slowly moved. 

The pictures themselves went well, although the lion photographer did grumble a bit as he adjusted the camera to catch the smaller mammals. But, soon enough, the fox and the rabbit found themselves walking out of the theatre.

“So, you live on resi, too, or. . ?” The fox asked curiously, slowly pawing along beside the lagomorph.

She smiled, somewhat pleased that she’d have someone to talk to on the way back to dorms. First day and already had a potential new friend. A person to do groupwork with. That’s what she called a success. Heck, he might be able to give her the inside scoop on Sahara Square culture. 

“Yes, I do.” Suddenly, she remembered the events of last night, a frown developing. “Which, now I get to meet the rest of my roommates. They didn’t even get to the dorm until the middle of the night, barging in completely drunk and noisy.” She muttered.

The fox looked down at her. “That’s rather unfortunate. But you know this is a college. A lot of people are going to be out having fun at all hours, especially on res. You’re probably just gonna have to get used to that.” He responded, as they both exited the main campus and turned toward the medium animal dorms.

She scoffed, shaking her head. “Yeah, well I’m sure _your_ roommates are a pleasure. Mine are probably going to spend the semester loud, drun-“ Her phone buzzed in her pocket, interrupting her thought. “Hold on a second.” She muttered, pulling her phone out to check what the message was. It was a message from Rhett. . .

**R: Hey. I got sum friends who wan 2 meet u. come 2 the party tonit @ the Twnhse.**

Judy let out an audible groan, causing Nick’s one eyebrow to pop up. “Something bad?” The fox asked quizzically. Looking up at the fox, she gauged whether to tell him. It couldn’t hurt, could it?

Eh, probably not. “It’s just my older brother. He wants me to go to a party with some of his friends, probably to hook up with one of them. Prick.” She spit venom, remembering her mother’s words from before. She was not going to give them the satisfaction.

The fox turned his gaze back to the path in front of them. “Ah. Well, you never know. Might be some nice does there, too? It couldn’t hurt to have a little fun, right?” He subtly inquired. If his version of subtlety was a hammer.

She scoffed. “I’m not a lesbian. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Its just. . . My mother wants me to hook up, settle down, have kids, and forget all about my own dreams. She told him to set me up with someone from the aggie department.” 

The fox nodded slowly, watching the rabbit from the corner of his eye. “Well, that’s shitty of her. And him, for that matter. For one, aggies are our mortal enemies.” He said, his one hand raising in a declarative finger-point to the sky. 

Looking down at the somewhat confused doe beside him, he shrugged. “That’s one thing I learned the other day; apparently, CJ students are kind of enemies to the Aggies. Don’t ask me why, but having met some of them last night, aggies _do_ seem rude.”

Judy let out a loud laugh. “Ha, that explains everything. My brother is an Aggie student. If they’re so bad, I sincerely hope my roomies aren’t in that program. Anyway, I’m not going to let my mother win. Just because she settled on her dreams, doesn’t mean I have to.” 

The fox nodded. “And that’s good. Dreams. . . They’re important. Still. Might be worth going out and having some fun?” The glare she levelled at him had the fox raising his paws in defence. “ _Not_ , to find a guy to sleep with or anything. Just, maybe to go have fun, meet some new people, enjoy your last day before assignments pour in.”

She let out another ‘ha’, although this one was laced with sarcasm. “Well, if you like parties so much, why don’t you go in my stead?” She responded, receiving a shrug in turn.

“Maybe I _will_. Go make fun of the aggies, or something. _Maybe_ make fun of your brother, too. What’s the address?” He inquired. Judy started laughing, imagining the fox annoying the shit out of her brother. That would serve him right.

“Sure, here, I’ll get it.”

**J: What’s the address?**

It only took a moment for a reply to come through. Clearly, the rabbit was very eager to please his mother. Or, his friends. Judy was not sure which would be worse.

**R: 30th drive, house 12 at 8pm. Thy cnt w8 to meet u.**

She smirked down at the screen. Oh, if only the rabbit knew what his sister was plotting. “House 12, the campus Townhouses on 30th drive. You _have_ to send me videos and updates on what you’re doing.” She demanded, while the fox laughed.

“Sure. What’s your number?”

The rabbit paused for a second. She only met this mammal today, was it a good idea to share her number? The repeated preaching of her father came back to her, about not giving out your number to strange guys. . . He’d probably lose it if he knew she gave it away to a fox. Looking him over again, head to toe, she decided it was probably okay. He seemed nice enough. And if this was the beginning of a friendship, it wouldn’t matter.

He’d pulled out his phone and tapped a few times on it, before turning to look at her expectantly as they walked. She let out a sigh, and exaggeratingly rolled her eyes. “If this is the way you get women’s numbers, it’s no wonder you’re single. . . . But. It’s 555-3321.” He frowned, before he entered it into his phone.

“And why do you assume I am single, hmm? I am handsome, smart, charming, and funny.” He responded while tucking his phone away, the question alone revealing she’d been right.

“Oh, boy, modest much? Clearly, I hit the nail on the head.” She mused, as the residence buildings began to loom in the distance. The fox shook his head at her, as she let out a short chuckle.

“You know, if you wanted, you could come with me to the party. We could sit in a corner mocking your brother and his dinky friends.” The fox responded with a shrug, causing the rabbit to halt and look at the vulpine. Nick’s eyebrow was raised, suggesting a possibly innocent offer.

She raised a paw to her chin. That could be entertaining. It’d also give her a chance to find out whether she really wanted to be friends with this fox before tomorrow. “Maaaybe. But I really don’t want to deal with the damn suiters he wants to send my way.” She responded, adding an exasperated sigh.

He crossed his arms. “So? Pretend to be lesbian. Or interested in different mammals, or asexual or something. It’s not good to pretend, but given the circumstances. . . And if anyone won’t get the message, I’ll put the fear of the _fox_ into ‘em. We don’t have class till eleven tomorrow, anyway.” He responded, a demonic grin appearing on his face.

Maybe her grandfather was right; maybe foxes were the devil. Still, she liked the idea of having a devil fox bodyguard to avoid her mother’s suiters. Bloody bucks would be running to the hills with those fangs. “Tempting. But still maybe.” She mused, as she resumed walking towards her dorm structure, looming just ahead.

“We’ll see how I feel after meeting my new roommates. They seem like really bad partiers, and likely not the most intelligent of sorts. If one of them is an aggie student, I’m going to gag.” She responded, giving the fox a little hope as his ears perked up.

“They’re really that terrible, huh? Probably messy bastards, too.” He guessed.

She laughed. “Yeah, a whole bunch of furniture was knocked over in the morning, there was just random bags everywhere, it was horrible. And don’t get me started on the one’s snoring. I think I might file a noise complaint for him.” She pulled out her key, as she walked to the door of her dorm.

“Well, send me a text later and I’ll let you know. I have to go yell at my new roommates for the mess, so.” She joked, as she turned to face the fox.

The vulpine’s face was frozen in a surprised, and somewhat horrified look. “Wait. This is _your_ dorm?” He asked, his voice going high.

“Yeeah, why?”

His brow furrowed, as he pulled out a key from his back pocket. “Well, it’s mine, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> College might be getting started for them, but it's heating up on this end. So, forgive me if I am unable to get the next chapter out in a week. That's the plan, but, real assignments have to come first.


	3. Judging a Fox by its Fur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, for those of you who saw this chapter already, I fucked up when I posted it before. Nothing has changed content-wise. I'm just an idiot, messed the posting up. So, if you've read it already, sorry, not a new chapter.
> 
> Yay, next one out. March is literally March Madness over here with real college, so, apologies, may be late with the next one. I suck. Also, say hello to Chrys, an absolute weirdo.

From the key dangled a small green tag, M-A112 carved into the plastic. Judy’s face turned to a grimace, suddenly regretting her big mouth. “Uhhh, hi, roomie?”

One furrowed brow went up, as the fox’s face slipped from surprise to a grin that concerned Judy. Why was he grinning? “Gotta say Carrots, you really put your lucky rabbit’s foot in your mouth with that one. I wonder if the charm holds out.” He said, amused, as he walked past her to the door.

The rabbit moved out of the way instinctively, as the fox opened the door and stepped inside. Thinking harder on last night, the voice did match closely with one from last night. After all that rapport building, she had screw it up, didn’t she? Judy closed the door behind her, following the fox into the kitchen. Apology time, it was the only way. “Nick, I-“

“HELLO, ROOMIE!” A voice yelled, her head and ears jerking to pinpoint the source. As Nick sauntered over to the kitchen table to the left, Judy suddenly noticed a large creature looming in front of the stove.

A _tall_ maned wolf -so tall, that his long ears were flattened by the roof- was smiling down at her, with a frying pan held in one large, black paw. “Uh, hi?” She responded in confusion, as she took in the canid that stood before her. This must have been Chris. . .

His smile widened. “I’m Chrys, with a Y! Chrys Yurus! Culinary student, and chef extraordinaire.” He boomed, before he tried to put the frying pan over his heart, stopping short as a few vegetables fell to the ground. “Oop, sorry! I’ll clean that up.”

Throwing the pan onto the stove again, he bent down and fulfilled his claim, throwing the ruined vegetables in the nearby trashcan. _Well, at least he’s responsible with cleaning. Wait. . ._ Judy looked around the room, and suddenly realized that the entire place had been cleaned since the morning. Along with that, a whole bunch of cooking stuff, from pans to blenders to everything, had appeared in the kitchen.

“You. . . Cleaned?” She asked, her face betraying the surprise. 

Suddenly, another voice to her left rang out, coming from her long-time friend. “Yep, he did!” Sharla called out, seated across the table from Nick. The sheep was mercilessly chowing down on a plate full of grilled vegetables, clearly enjoying whatever Chrys had cooked. 

Taking a moment to inhale the glorious smells surrounding her, Judy heard her stomach grumble. Unfortunately, the grumble was not only audible to her, as the maned wolf straightened up with a emphatic, almost evil cackle coming from his throat. “No one can resist my cooking! I shall take over the world! And don’t you worry your bunny head, Judy, I’m making you some, too.”

Wait, he already knew her name? Looking over at Sharla, she frowned at her friend. That friend, on the other hand, barely acknowledged Judy as she continued to shovel delicious-looking food into her mouth. Moving her gaze across from Sharla, she looked at Nick, immediately regretting it as the fox returned her stare with that same amused grin.

Their eyes locked for a moment, before he turned his attention to Chrys over by the stove. Her ears drooped against her back, as she thought hard on how to fix this. It was an honest mistake, right? Surely, he wouldn’t hold a grudge that long? 

She didn’t get much time to think on it, as the large wolf walked over to the table and distributed three dishes full of steaming food. For the predators, the vegetables were topped with what looked to be a mound of fried crickets, but Judy couldn’t be sure. Judy didn’t want to be sure.

Unfortunately for Judy, Chrys had taken a seat next to Sharla, leaving her place next to Nick. Who, for his own part, pretended not to notice as he began digging in to the food in front of him. Sharla, on the other hand, looked at Chrys with a rather. . . Curious gaze. 

“So,” Chrys began in his happy, unhampered voice. “I hope y’all are okay with me setting up my TV in the living room. It’s a _little_ too big for my room Oh, I also brought along my Pawstation and OXbox, so feel free to play any of the games on them. Hey, we could even play multiplayer!” The wolf spoke, his voice getting louder and more excited.

Judy walked over to the table, and quietly sat down next to the slandered fox. “That’s fine. Thanks for cleaning up, Chrys. Oh, and thanks for cooking, too.” She spoke, her assurance coming back to her. Surely, she’d be able to convince Nick that she was sorry. After all, it’s not like her complaints were wrong about last night. Right?

“Oh, no need to thank me for cooking, any practice is good practice. And, don’t thank me for cleaning up, thank Nick. He slipped out of morning orientation just to wake me up and helped me clean up my mess. Hungover me hated him for it. But, hey, I love cleaning normally. Just, when I am sober, next time.” The wolf responded, waggling his fork over at Nick. So, that’s why she didn’t remember seeing the fox at the orientation.

Not that she spent time looking for foxes or anything. That would be ludicrous. 

She looked over to Nick, only to see him smugly smiling back at her, as he lifted another spoonful of veggies and crickets to his waiting maw. “Thanks.” She spoke emphatically, hoping that he would pick up on her apologetic nature. 

As the large, sharp, vulpine teeth clashed and devoured their meal, Judy looked back to her own plate. It was probably best to focus on eating right now. She’d apologize later, if they were alone. Between the way it looked, and the way it smelled, Judy had high hopes for how good it would be. Tentatively, she lifted the first bite into her mouth.

She discovered quickly why Sharla was so eager. Judy was not sure what it was. Maybe it was the spices, maybe the ‘grilled’ flavour, but she had never had vegetables that tasted this good. She had another bite, and another, and yet another on top of that.

“Obviously, I’ve won the bun over, Nick. I love the sweet smell of victory in the evening. . . And cumin, for that matter.” The wolf declared with a grin and a dorky superhero pose, interrupting her pleasure as she looked up at Chrys from her meal. 

Swallowing, she sputtered out a response. “It’s very good. My parents would probably die for the recipe.” She took a glance at the fox, receiving a fox smile in return as he continued to devour with his own food. He didn’t seem mad, which was more concerning. Taking yet another fork-full of food, she wondered what the sneaky fox was up to.

“Well, I don’t share recipes lightly. . . But, maybe, if you’re nice enough to let me try new dishes out on you.” The wolf mused, as he shovelled his own food into his mouth, barely using his fork. Judy, on the other hand, was a little more tactful. Although if she was honest, the temptation to do the same was high. 

She thought about the offer, devouring the wonderful stir fry, forkful by forkful. A fair trade, especially if his dishes were half as good at this one. Besides, she had a feeling that he’d make her try his dishes whether she said yes or no.

She finally paused her eating, and smiled back at him, responding with an enthusiastic nod. The nod caused the Wolf to smile wider, and the tail behind him swish softly back and forth.

“Speaking of being nice. . . We were kind of rude, and loud last night, Chrys. Banging around, making noise. Causing a mess, snoring. It wasn’t very courteous to our roommates here.” Nick spoke loudly, getting the attention of the wolf across from him. Judy suddenly got a bad feeling about where this conversation was going, as she slowed her eating slightly.

_Is he going to tell Chrys I said all those things?_ The evil smirk suggested she didn’t have much hope, especially since she didn’t know how the wolf would react to criticism. Living with two angry roommates was not the way she wanted to start the semester. Especially not by throwing away the first friend she’d made.

But, to her surprise the wolf looked at the vulpine with surprise, and mild horror. “We were? I’m _so_ sorry!” He let out with a whine, his gaze going back and forth between the two herbivores. Clearly, he did not like upsetting people. Or, at least the two of them.

“Worst of all, they weren’t able to join us for the party that turned you into such a blubbering mess. Which, that was its own reward, really. So, we should all go together next time. Apparently, there’s one going on tonight over at the Townhouses. You know, have a little roommate bonding time. What do you think?” The fox proposed, as he looked straight at Judy with that same satisfied grin.

“I’m game!” The wolf shouted, before beginning to shove more of his own food down his gullet. Judy suddenly had the feeling she was being roped into going. . .

“Hell yeah! I don’t have class till 1 tomorrow.” Sharla spoke up, before finishing up the last of her vegetables.

Looking back at Nick, she found that the grin had gotten larger. She couldn’t believe she was being hustled into her brother’s party; she was the only one with an invitation after all. But, it was becoming quite clear that Nick wasn’t nearly as mad at her as she’d feared.

Well then, there was no reason not to play with him. She made a concentrated face, as she lifted one of the last forkfuls of her food to her mouth. Chewing slowly, Judy made sure to take her time. Nick’s ears were focused on her, with one eyebrow cocked up in curiosity. 

With a slightly louder than desired swallow, she let out a sigh, trying to fight the grin forming in the corners of her mouth. “Well, I guess I can come out for a little bit. But, don’t be surprised if I suddenly disappear. I do that.”

Nick let out a snort, smirking as he turned back to his food. “We’ll make sure to be home _before_ eleven tonight. We all got classes at some time tomorrow. Oh, by the way, Chrys, Judy’s brother is in attendance, and it’s our job to annoy the living fuck out of him.” The fox dropped that necessary detail, causing a smile from Judy and a gasp from Sharla as the sheep nodded quickly in agreement.

The wolf, on the other hand, only lifted one paw with a thumbs up, as he began to lick his plate clean. Suddenly, the idea of her tiny brother being harassed by a gigantic canid was way to hard to resist, she had be there for it. The fox looked around the room with his smug smile, probably a little too satisfied with pipelining her into the party. She had to admit, he was a pretty good wordsmith. “Of course, that gives us about three hours before we need to get going. What should we do for that time?”

The wolf dropped his plate and slammed his paws onto the table. “I’ve got a four-person multiplayer game! Let’s play that! I mean. . . If you don’t have homework.” Chrys shouted before petering off, looking around the table in concern.

Judy had never been much into games. . . Although, in her defence, her siblings were the worst kind of losers. Let alone getting everyone to share or cooperate for a simple game of fun was harder than anything should ever be. _Come to think of it_ , she pondered, _Rhett was the worst of them_.

The tantrums that rabbit had caused were epic, to the point of becoming legend to the younger litters. She, unluckily, got to witness one of his meltdowns in person. And unfortunately, he always got away with it. Their parents did their best, but it was hard to keep track of and discipline over two hundred children.

The sheep let out a light, nervous chuckle. “Yeah, I don’t have any homework. But, I’m not good at games.” She murmured, looking up at the large canid with a face of wonder. Which, Judy didn’t understand. Why was she looking at him like that? _Wait a minute. . ._

“That’s okay, you can be on my team.” The wolf responded, interrupting both her train of thought and attention. “I’ll let you in on a secret, I’m not all that good either.” Chrys’ face turned to a frown, although a comical one at best. Judy smirk-frowned at him, doubting that statement. Why have so many game stations if you weren’t good at them?

Nick, on the other hand, said and did nothing in response, scraping the last of his food off his plate and into his maw. Clearly, he didn’t care what happened. Judy lifted her last fork of food, savouring it as she finished a wonderful meal. Putting her fork and knife on the plate, she looked up at Chrys, with a smile. “I’m pretty novice at games, but, I’ll give it a shot.”

“That’s fine! None of us are professionals or anything, just a friendly game.” Chrys responded excitedly, getting up from the table. He collected up their plates and cutlery, despite Judy attempting to resist for a second. He placed them all into the sink, and began the tedious task of cleaning up after a meal.

She felt pretty sheepish for assuming her roommates were dirty people. They were just drunk, and shit happens then. Between their cleaning, and their personal hygiene, it was clear that they weren’t the slobs she’d feared. So, is he not mad? She thought to herself, looking over at the fox.

It was a long two years for the diploma, or four years for the degree, and they’d be in the same classes. She was going for the degree, but she didn’t know about the fox. If he was. . . That’d be very uncomfortable.

“So, what program are you in?” Nick’s voice brought her back to reality, realizing she’d been zoned out staring at the fox. Her gaze turned to her friend, who seemed startled by the question.

The black sheep laughed, embarrassed. “Oh, y’know, nursing and stuff.” The fox’s eyebrows went up, as he nodded in in response.

“Wow, I’ve heard that’s a tough course. How were your first classes?” Chrys added to the conversation while drying a dish.

The rest of the conversation was banal, and Judy barely put much attention in her responses. Judy was not sure how she felt about being railroaded into the party, but she did know that it would be fun to thwart Rhett and her mother on the first day of classes.

She was still internally smiling from the thought of an angry Rhett when they moved to the living room, managing to squeeze all four bodies onto the large grey couch in front of the television. It was quite a big television, about the length of the wolf’s height, ironically.

Chrys made sure to sit as far onto the left arm as he could, his massive shape taking up a significant amount of room. But this had a rather unfortunate consequence. Sharla immediately sat right next to him, _practically on him, I notice_ , she thought with a playful sneer. That left the rabbit to sit next to Sharla and be penned in by the fox.

Sitting between the large sheep and fox seemed to accentuate how small the rabbit was. Which was not the image she wanted people to see her through at college. _Hey, at least you’re not between Nick and Chrys, that would be far worse_. She let out a little chuckle at the thought of being stuck between two predators, looking over at the wolf and sheep beside her as a knowing smirk growing on her face.

The little sheep was staring at the wolf. . . That had to mean only one thing. She was surprised, moving on from Dan that quickly. But then, she also wasn’t _that_ surprised. Oh, the sheep was going to be teased relentlessly by Judy. _Got to give her credit, though,_ Judy thought to herself as she looked back up at Chrys. _She sure shoots big_.

“So, I guess that make us a team, Carrots.” The fox’s voice jolted her attention to the canid over her other shoulder.

He was smiling at her, so she couldn’t help smiling back, as a little embarrassment crept into her ears. The fox was either not angry or planning something dastardly. Hopefully not angry. “Sure. Just don’t expect any miracles, _Slick_. What game are we playing?”

“Canine on Duty. It’s a got a great couch multiplayer versus system.” Chrys responded for Nick, as he began passing out the remotes. 

The fox let out a short, wheezed laugh. “Yeeeah, we’re probably going to die a lot. I don’t even know what that is.” Nick murmured with a shrug, a genuine smile on his black lips.

She grinned back at the fox, giving him a light shoulder-jab. “Maybe.”

And then the duo wiped the floor with the Shar-Chrys team, as they jokingly called them. As it turned out, Judy was quite intuitive when it came to first-person shooters, and quite literally carried their team to victory every time. Not to say that Nick wasn’t useful. . . But, more as bait than anything else.

* * *

The three hours passed quicker than they expected. But then, as everyone got ready for the party, they had a real problem to deal with.

Or rather, Judy did. While the three others got dressed up for the party (well, changed some clothes anyway), Judy had a specific task with her ensemble. She wanted to be as unattractive as she possibly could.

It’s not like she brought along dresses or any extremely sexy clothing. But she wanted to be the biggest turnoff she possibly could. Slipping on the baggiest, greyest sweat pants she could, she only needed a large disgusting hoodie to complete the turnoff.

Sifting around, she found a hoodie she had long vowed to give away. Holding it up to the light, she smirked at her deviousness. _Perfect_.

It was a putrid yellow, one with slightly greener tones than necessary. On the front, the most hippie flower, tie-died and all, was stitched onto it. A hand-me-down, she hadn’t really had the chance to get rid of it before. The only reason she brought it at all was because it was almost unparalleled in comfort, if not style. On long study nights, it would be a godsend

With a quick check in her bedroom mirror, she was both appalled and impressed. With those hideous clothes on, she was practically a shapeless blob, and evoked a very large ‘leave-me-alone’ message.

Exactly what she wanted. Opening the door, she walked down to the kitchen where her roommates were patiently waiting. All three turned to look at the approaching bun, with slightly disgusted faces appearing on two of them.

Nick, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and put his head in his black paw. Judy frowned, and crossed her arms. The fox was kind of dramatic with those hand gestures, what could he be upset about? “What? What’s wrong now, Nick?”

Pulling his head out of his hand, he started out speaking with a very serious stone. “Look. I get it. You’re new at this task. You’ve never had to do it before. But your one job, _your whole job,_ was to make yourself unattractive. And quite frankly, you failed, _hard_.” The fox spoke in an exasperated tone, although by the end he couldn’t disguise the corners of his mouth twitching.

A hot feeling rose in Judy’s ears, but she wasn’t about to be embarrassed by this fox. Especially not insulted. “Well, not everyone can just wake up unattractive like you, _Nick_. For some of us, it’s a real burden.” She snarked back, which only seemed to make her own blush worse as she crossed her arms and turned away from the rude fox.

Nick, on the other hand, immediately let out a yelp of pain, while he held his hand over his chest. The sheep and wolf burst out laughing. “Ow. That’s what I get for being _nice_? Sheesh.” Nick murmured, crossing his arms with a frown.

She turned back to him with a smirk, the two mammals behind him were too busy chortling. “Well, that’s what you get for making fun of me, and my terrible clothes!” 

“Yeah, yeah, it was a bad joke. Now, let’s goo!” The fox responded, this time with what seemed like true exasperation. Or, maybe just wounded pride. “We don’t want to be out too late, for _Ms. Hopps_ here.” He trudged down to the door, holding it open for his roommates.

After a few moments to gather their breath, Sharla and Chrys filed out of the dorm. Chrys, of course, had to duck far to get through the doorway. As Judy sauntered out, she made sure to stick her tongue out at Nick on the way, feeling a tad juvenile.

To her surprise, Nick responded by sticking out his own tongue. His very long, very large pink tongue. She frowned at him. _Canids. Always cheating the tongue game_ , Judy thought while walking out the door, shaking her head.

The rest of the walk over to 30th was uneventful. Chrys proudly lead the way, as if he had been to this address before. Perhaps he had, but this was i>probably the first time he had a sheep following him that closely. 

Judy, on the other hand, was content to hang back and watch the two, with the fox trailing along beside her. They didn’t really talk, but he had a light smile on. She was pretty sure he’d forgiven her by now. Either that, or he was playing the long game for revenge.

It was a thought, but she preferred to err on the good side. Besides, at least he wasn’t sulking at her.

Upon their arrival in front of House 12, they were unsurprised to hear loud music, a din of shouting, and all the lights on. “I’ll knock on the door.” Judy said loudly, jogging ahead of the group with a hop. “I am the invited one, after all.”

The three all nodded, stopping their march just behind her.

Knocking on the door loudly, Judy was surprised when the door swung open immediately. Behind it was a male rabbit she didn’t know, looking either really bored or really boozed. “Uhhh, hi? I was invited by Rhett?” She stated, slightly nervous.

She’d never really been to a party before, so, she was unsure what she should do at this point. Did they need his name, or was this a free-for-all? The male rabbit frowned and turned to face the interior of the house. “HEY RHETT! Someone’s here to talk to you!” He shouted, before letting go of the door and wandering off. 

“Uhhh. . .” Judy murmured, confused, before her older brother suddenly appeared from the crowd. It seemed to be packed, which made her internally laugh thinking of Chrys wandering around the house. 

“Heeeyy Judy! You made it! I got some friends here who want to meet. . . you?” He spoke, his attention turning to the three people standing behind her. “You brought. . . who are these mammals?” The bunny must have recognized Sharla, but not the other two.

“Yeah, I decided to invite some friends!” She responded happily, crossing her arms behind her back in an innocent pose. She caught a view of the fox in the corner of her eye, grinning at her. “They had nothing to do tonight, so I figured why not? It is a party, isn’t it? This is Nick, and the big one’s Chrys.”

The male rabbit frowned. It pissed him off, perfect. “Yeah, I guess you can come in.” The rabbit murmured, before stepping out of the way. The group shuffled through, Chrys again having to duck for the doorway. Rhett looked at the clothes Judy was wearing and was clearly not impressed. “Drinks are. . . well, they’re pretty much everywhere. But mostly in the kitchen. You mammals can. . . I don’t know, mingle or whatever? Whatever _you_ do for fun.”

Rhett murmured, gesturing to the two new people. He’d probably expected Sharla, but not the two canids. “Come with me, Judy, I’ve got some mammals waiting on you.” He demanded, reaching a paw out to her. She frowned and crossed her arms.

“I’m pretty sure you can bring them to _me_ , Rhett. They want to meet me, don’t they? Well, then they can _find_ me.” She retorted, as she pushed past Rhett, looking around the room. “In the meantime, I’m going to join the party. See ya.” She spoke, brimming with confidence. This was going to be good.

* * *

She didn’t join the party. 

Well, not really. Thirty minutes later, she was standing alone in a corner of the living room, by the large window. She’d managed to get a red Slotho cup of keg beer along her way, though. It wasn’t the best she’d ever had, but anything would help make this party enjoyable. Ish.

As she saw Rhett round the kitchen corner with yet another random male rabbit, she had to roll her eyes in exhaustion. At number four, she wondered if the males he was grabbing were even his friends at this point. If so, he had a lot of friends who were stupid. 

Well, to be fair, number two was fairly nice. A heavy Outback accent, and when he realized she wasn’t interested, he didn’t push. What was his name again? Blair? She couldn’t remember, but she had a feeling by the smug look on No. 4, he wouldn’t be as easily dealt with.

When Rhett gestured to her in the corner, allowing the Unknown Idiot to approach alone, she couldn’t help but take a big swig of her Slotho cup, regrettably finishing it off. She set the cup down on the nearby windows sill, an auto-frown appearing as she crossed her arms.

“Hello, beautiful. What’re you doing here all alone? My name is Michael” He started, practically radiating his stupidity in a visible spectrum.

“And let me guess, you’re another traditional bunny bumpkin Aggie, whose parents want him to settle down and have hundreds of children.” She attempted to finish his sentence. They were all the same. Practically carbon copies at this point.

“Well, yeah, that’s what my parents want. I’m in my third semest - aggie department.” Michael spoke up, suddenly giving a shrug. “I mean, I don’t see what’s the big deal. Seems like a waste of money to learn about growing shit. And I’m not into kids right now. It’s not my vibe, I don’t need their problems. After all, I’m here to have fun and nothin more than that.” Judy frowned at the confident rabbit. He leaned against a nearby bookshelf, a putrid smile forming on his face.

“Riiight.” She said. “And you seem like such a-“ She began, before Michael decided that it was again his turn.

“Nice guy, right? Yeah, I get that a lot. I mean, yeah, I am a good guy. I’m not pushy, I always listen, and I am not a jealous type. I treat women the way they want to be treated. I mean, I’m pretty mellow when it comes to a lot of stuff. I think that’s what scares a lot of women away. Getting what they need is scary for them. What do you think?”

She frowned. “Yeah, you sound pretty humble.” Judy poured the sarcasm on, as her eyes nearly rolled back into her skull. Instead of picking up on it, Michael decided to step closer to Judy, turning her frown into a glare. Something told her that this rabbit was not very good at any game that required critical thought and interpretation.

“I know! I mean, I can’t help how good I am. And, I mean good at _everything_ under the covers.” He said with a wink, causing Judy to internally gag. “It’s why I try not to brag. It’s not vogue, but it’s not my fault that everyone notices how good I am without me saying anything. I mean, you get-“

_Thunk._ Suddenly, the male rabbit was pushed hard into the bookcase, as an entire cup of beer splashed against his back. “Oh man, I am so sorry! I’m _soo_ clumsy!” The russet mammal apologized, holding a now empty beer cup in one paw, with the other paw busy stabilizing a still-full cup.

“What, _the fuck_ , dude?” The rabbit exclaimed, dripping all over the floor, before turning to face his assaulter. That was until his eyes locked with the pearly white teeth of the smiling fox. The rabbit froze in place, as his high alert ears trembled a little. The fox shrugged in response.

“Hey, it was an accident. Sorry, _dude_. The good news is, I saved yours, Carrots.” The fox responded, wedging himself between the two rabbits as he proffered up the full cup to Judy. She smiled and took it from his paw eagerly, as the fox leaned against the window beside her.

She had to admit, he had perfect timing. Although a little sooner might have paid off better. “So, no luck on those does, eh?” The fox belted out, as loud enough to catch the ears of the surrounding group. Michael suddenly looked very confused, looking from Judy to Nick and back.

She grinned and rolled her eyes. “I know! All I keep getting are _little bucks_ bothering me. If I wanted that kind of _small_ problem, I’d use a carrot. At least _it_ would be a little less self-centred.” She joined in, making things far worse. She could see the corners of the fox’s mouth twitch, his chest spasming as he tried to hold himself together.

Michael looked like he saw a ghost. “Uh. . . I’m going to. . . go. . .” He said, suddenly turning and quickly walking back into the crowd. Judy couldn’t contain her giggling.

“Hey, nice meeting ya! Don’t feel bad! Good luck with your next doe, I’m sure someone will want your twig!” Nick called out loudly, causing her to go into a full-bore laughing fit. A little on the cruel side, but, that Michael seemed to need it badly.

“Sorry for not coming sooner, I ran into a vixen that just _wouldn’t_ stop talking to me. I barely escaped with my fur.” He shrugged, failingly attempting a sip from the remaining empty cup. “Damn. Oh well.”

She smirked at him. “Here, I’ll give you some. For my saviour.” She said, reaching over with her full cup.

He smiled down at her and held out his empty vessel. “Well, maybe a little, but, I’m not your saviour. Pretty sure you would’ve gotten rid of him eventually, what with the eye-daggers you were shooting at him. Although, that one was a bit thicker than the others. But the good news is, I’m pretty sure Chrys has Rhett occupied, so at least you get a small break from the suitors.”

Nick nodded, and Judy stopped pouring. “So, what’s Chrys doing to my miserable sibling?”

The fox let out a single laugh, shaking his head lightly. “Well, he’s acting absolutely blasted, and giving Rhett a rundown of all of his sexual escapades.” He paused, as Judy let out a loud chortle. “At least, I think he’s acting. . . All I know is, Sharla was there in the corner, _clearly_ enjoying the stories.”

Judy’s laugher slowed, as she let out a sigh. “Yeah. Pretty sure she has a little crush. Or, something, anyway. Which is good, I think. She needs to get over her last boyfriend sometime. I think she’s going to use college as an opportunity to ‘experiment’, but I’m not entirely sure.”

Nick nodded. “Maybe. She’s got her work cut out for her. Chrys is fine, but, a little dense. And, it’s college. People have all kinds of new fun, it’s kind of a normal thing. Speaking of, _you_ need to learn to have more fun.” He murmured, gesturing his cup towards her.

Judy nearly choked on her drink, as one eyebrow shot up towards the fox “What do you mean? I have a lot of _fun_ away from parties.” She responded defensively. Just because she didn’t think parties were that fun didn’t mean that she didn’t have fun. Just. Differently.

The fox lightly chuckled, shaking his head. “All I’m saying is it’s college; if all you focus on is your grades, you’re going to go crazy. You don’t have to go to every party, or a party you don’t want to go to, that’s not what I’m saying. Or, go all out at parties like we did, last night. . . Sorry, again.” Judy’s ears drooped, which was probably good due to blush in her ears.

Judy took another sip of the beer, before looking up at the fox. This was her best chance to apologize, especially since he brought it up. “No, I am sorry about. . . All of that earlier. . . I shouldn’t have made all those assumptions. . . Probably really going to need that ethics class tomorrow.” The smile on Nick’s face faded, if only for a moment.

“Its okay.” He murmured, a small smile returning. “We deserved some of it. Things kind of got out of hand last night, at least for Chrys. As in, he may have been wearing a lampshade at some point. Besides, we cleaned up our mess and made it all okay, right?” He finished, taking a small sip of beer.

She smiled. _Good._ “Still. I am apologizing, and I will make it up to you someday. Buuut. . . . Tell me about this vixen.” She asked, grinning.

The fox frowned, shaking his head. “She seemed nice. Interesting. Pretty, of course. But, never let it be said that I left my duty unfinished, and I promised to run a little defence for you. There’ll be other parties.” He responded, shrugging. “Besides, she already gave me her number.”

She smirked at him. “Uhuh, why do I have a feeling you were the one fawning over her, hopelessly bothering a poor woman? That number’s probably a fake.”

The fox responded by gasping and putting on the fakest offended expression Judy had ever seen. “How dare you. Just because _you_ find me unattractive and disgusting, doesn’t mean _everyone_ feels the same. Is it really that unbelievable?” Nick defended himself, grinning as he took another drink.

“Not UN-believable, per say. Just, unlikely. Who’d imagine someone so desperate?” She responded with a smirk and a shake of her head.

The fox nearly choked on his beer, wheezing a bit before turning back to her. “Damn, you’re kind of cruel, Carrots. You’re going to drive me crazy, aren’t you?”

She smiled. “That’s the plan, Slick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know, the name of the college, Watanobbi, is apparently an indigenous Australian word meaning 'hills surrounded by water'. Considering Outback Island is, well, an Island, I thought it was a good choice.
> 
> Also, Maned Wolf urine smells like marihuana. Seriously. They weird beasts.


	4. Some-bun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, it's late. But, the last week was March Madness for assignments here. So, I apologize, but here you go.
> 
> This one is from Nick's perspective. I probably won't do it very often, but I definitely will when the story calls for it. Chrys belongs to me, but I would prefer not to claim ownership of him.
> 
> I do not own anything related to Zootopia, Disney owns it all. Also, credit to Jack Mack and the Heart Attack for the song. Still one of the best tunes of all time. 

_Beep-bee-_

_Thud_. A dark brown paw defiantly snuffed out the offending sound. Leaning up, Nick glanced over at the clock.

4:30 A.M. Shifting to hang his legs over the bed, he let out a deep, loud yawn. Which only served to worsen the pounding in his head, eliciting a groan. Rubbing his eyes, he immediately regretted waking up this early. He didn’t have to, but, it was good practice for the academy.

Still. After last night, it was akin to torture.

They’d managed to get back by 11, although it had been quite a slow crawl. Chrys had been badly hammered, but ironically it was the black sheep that was the worst. Judy and Nick both had to play guide-mammal for the two drunks, but for Judy it was quite literally a drag. Sharla had apparently challenged Chrys to a cup-for-cup drinking battle. Which, given their body-weights, was the worst idea he’d ever heard.

At least for Nick, he only had to deal with the slightly-flighty Chrys. He wandered off the path a few times, stopping to quite literally sniff a few bushes and lampposts. 

He still didn’t understand what reasoning Sharla had for that contest. Maybe she was trying to prove herself to Chrys? Or, maybe she just wanted an excuse to drink that much, and he just happened to be there. Judy had mentioned that she’d just suffered a break-up not long ago. Not the most efficient method for dealing with emotional difficulties, but, so long as it did not become a constant problem, she would hopefully be alright.

Besides, it was becoming quite clear to Nick and Judy (and anyone else present at the party) that Sharla was a little preoccupied with trying to get Chrys’ attention. Who, for his own part, was as oblivious as usual. Once again, Chrys had ended up with a lamp shade on his head. Nick didn’t even remember seeing a lamp in the entire house, yet, that bean-pole of a mammal managed anyway.

Shaking his head, he stood up, rubbing his sore neck. Between the awful couch in the living room and his mattress, he was beginning to wonder where his ‘rent’ money even went when he paid for a spot on residence. Not a cent of it was spent on the furniture, obviously.

He did a few stretches, trying to wake up the muscles that hadn’t moved in several hours. A few twinges and pains later, he yawned again and headed for the small dresser across his tiny room. He wasn’t really impressed with the room, but he couldn’t make Chrys take the smallest room. That’d literally be cruel and unusual punishment despite how funny it would be.

He let out a chuckle, as his thoughts fell to Sharla’s room. _If she thinks a little more critically, she could really lay on the charm and offer him her room. . . With her included._ Of course, the odds that obvious flirting would go over his head was still high.

The first thing he went for was the phone on top of the dresser, snatching up a pair of Bluefang headphones with the other paw. He deftly scrolled through his playlists as he inserted the headphones into his ears, one after another. He spotted the track by Jack Yak and the Heart Kodiak, and grinned. _Perfect_.

He tapped the widget, and set the phone on the dresser as the drums began their beat. His head was already bobbing by the time the strumming bass began, as he pulled out a pair of pants and walked over to the closet.

_“I was ready, I was willing, but I never, ever got the chance.”_

The rest of his body was already grooving to the beat, as he deftly plucked a bright button-up shirt from his closet and bundled it with the pants under his arm.

_“Wasn’t moving, only losing, and the time was slippin’ through my hands.”_

Opening the door, he dandily pawed his way toward the stairwell, with only his blue boxers protecting his ‘dignity’. 

_“I took one step up, put my foot on the gas, got me out of nowhere.”_

He paused at the top of the stairs, his body pulsing with preparation for the chorus. His mouth opened, ready to silently belt out.

_”I say, I’m gonna be some-bod-ay! I’m gonna make my sta-and! I’m gonna be some-bod-ay, I really think I can!”_

He swayed to the music, arms up grooving to the beat as he ‘sung’ along. With a skill honed by years of effort, he stepped down the stairs to the beat, looking quite a fool.

_“For the first time, from the inside, to the outside, something feels right. If I can’t be anybody but me, I might as well be, somebody.”_

There was no one up at this hour, anyway. The darkness of the house would’ve dissuaded some mammals, but his reflective iris’ made short work of that. 

_“When you’re hurtin’, disconcerted, nothing’s gonna come your way. There’s no reason, to be bleedin’.You can change your life from night to day. When your timing’s right, there’ll be hope in sight, just believe in what you’re saying, when you say,”_

He stopped, right before the final step to mouth along with the lyrics.

_”Say, I’m gonna be some-bod-ay! I’m gonna make my sta-and! I’m gonna be some-bod-ay, I really think I can!”_

He silently finished, before taking the last hop to the kitchen floor.

_“For the first time, from the inside, to the outside, something feels right. If I can’t be anybody but me, I might as well be, somebody. . Somebody!”_

Taking a quick right, he slunk his way towards the downstairs bathroom. Less noise down there, he hoped. He was a little worried that it wouldn’t matter. That rabbit had impressive ears unfortunately. 

_“I’m gonna be some-bod-ay! I’m gonna make my sta-and! I’m gonna be some-bod-ay, I really think I can!”_

And unique as well. In all his days in Zootopia, he’d never seen ears like that. Sure, he’d seen black ears, but not tipped.

_”For the first time, from the inside, to the outside, something feels right. If I can’t be anybody but me, I might as well be, somebody. I’m gonna be some-bod-ay. . .”_

He silently mused about that rabbit while the song went into its death throws. Slipping into the bathroom, he quietly closed the door behind him.

Some parts of him felt bad for making her concerned that he was angry at her. The truth was, he was never bothered by what she said. Beyond the fact that she was kind of right, he’d heard much worse growing up. Setting the bundle of clothes down, putting his phone and earphones down, and stripping from his boxers, he wondered why he was particularly drawn to making friends with her from the moment he first saw her.

There were other options to sit beside. Or, sit next to no one. But the truth was that he was particularly aware of why he did it. Even from the back of the classroom, he could see the moxie radiating off her when she’d set her pens, books, and papers on her desk.

She was here to fight and win. Just like he was.

As the hot water poured over his ears, he let out another huff. Besides, as both roommates and classmates, it wasn’t like he could reasonably avoid her. Imagine how awkward it would have been to sit away from her and discover later that they were roommates. Apparently, his intuition made a good choice. Besides he’d been enjoying her company all yesterday.

Smart, daring, amusing, and so far, willing to overlook the fact he was a fox. At least, he certainly hoped that she’d overlooked it. A frown came onto his face, as he shut off the shower and stepped out. He gave himself a quick dry-off with a towel, knowing full well it would barely do the job.

Schemer, trickster, loser. Worse. All based upon what he was, not who. If she was willing to look past that, then he could look past her having a rather good point about his conduct the other night.

Finally satisfied with his dampness -the best he could hope for-, he opened a drawer and pulled out a brush and began grooming his fur into a more ‘organized’ and ‘dignified’ shape.

Satisfied, he dressed himself in the clothes he brought, buttoned up his beautiful blue Pawaiian shirt, and walked back up the stairs to retrieve his backpack and laptop. It was an old device, but useful for school. Besides, it was all he needed. As if on autopilot, he went back down quietly and entered the living room, taking a seat on the large, hideous green couch.

Pulling out and starting the laptop, he stretched his legs out and used the large armrest to prop his back up. As if by instinct, he opened up Zoogle Chrane and went to the college’s coursework website. Scrolling through the course list, he found the one for the morning. ‘Ethics & Critical Thinking’, with Terrie Zreaddy.

He scrolled through the syllabus briefly, and then moved to the module tab. He was glad that they had everything available online for his program, or at least as much as the instructor would allow. He slowly began going through the course content, prepping for what they might discuss that morning.

He wasn’t even sure how long he was scrolling and reading, perusing every bit of the currently available information. Which wasn’t much for this course, as not much had been made available yet. With a light scowl, he moved on to the next course.

More time passed. At one point, he heard the loud steps of Chrys walking down the stairs and heading out the door to his early morning classes. But, as more time passed, there was one thing he hadn’t heard, or even noticed.

Taking a second to stretch his arms and yawn, his eyes suddenly caught a glowing violet sheen from across the couch. Blinking rapidly, he realized that, perched on the opposing armrest, the grey rabbit was seated, with her own laptop, and glancing every few keys at the lazy fox.

“Good morning, Nick.” The rabbit called in an amused tone, glancing up and maintaining eye contact for a second. The small grin on her face suggested she was quite aware of how she snuck by the fox.

Letting out another yawn, Nick rubbed his eyes, feigning exhaustion. Or, perhaps not really feigning it. Internally, he chastised himself for not noticing her. “Morning, Carrots. . . So. How long have you been ‘observing’ me? Nice to know I’m the target for surveillance.”

The rabbit laughed, making him smile softly. It was good to know that her humour was at least on point this morning. His awareness sure wasn’t “Ppprrobably a lot longer than you want me to tell you. You’re pretty out of it, aren’t you? You didn’t seem _that_ drunk last night.”

Nick responded with a shrug. “I wasn’t. But, between that and the lack of sleep, might need some coffee to get this fox going. . . What time is it?” He asked, a large grin forming as he watched the rabbit attempt to stifle a yawn, and then give in to the urge. He couldn’t help but smile happily at the infectious nature of yawns. And the cuteness of a rabbit yawn; that, too.

Finishing her involuntary yawn, she finally got to answer. “About 10:10. You might want to finish getting dressed and ready, if you want to be early.” She murmured with a smirk.

He frowned at her, looking down at his blue Pawaiian shirt, then back at her. “What’s wrong with my clothes?” Personally, he liked his shirts. And he would be willing to defend them against anyone.

The rabbit just turned her gaze back to her laptop and continued tapping away. After a moment, she finally spoke a single, solitary word. “Might wanna check your zipper.”

Nick was confused. What zipper? His shirts were all button up. The only zipper-. He looked straight down and rolled his eyes. Zipping up his pants, he shook his head. “Well, I suppose that’s better than insulting my shirts. . .”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh, I could say a few things about your shirts. But, y’know, to each their own I suppose.” Nick rolled his eyes again, lightly shaking his head.

“To think I gave you an honest complimented you last night. _Tsk_. What a mean rabbit.” Nick mumbled, unable to contain his smirk. Shifting his paws off the couch, he closed his laptop and put it into his waiting backpack.

The rabbit shrugged, as she put her laptop into hers. “Hey, you’re the one thinking you deserve something for that ‘honest compliment’. Since when do jokes count?” She spoke, as she bounded gracefully off the couch, putting her backpack on in one fluid motion.

Nick, for his own part, slid off the couch like a falling sack of potatoes, as he shuffled his backpack over one shoulder. That rabbit. Always had to show someone up. But she did have a point. “Fine. You look nice today.” He spoke, with a sigh, although he couldn’t hold in a grin.

It wasn’t a lie. Dressed in comfortable jeans and a white and red Gazelle t-shirt, no one could say she didn’t look nice. Especially compared to last night’s outfit.

The rabbit looked up at him and seemed surprised for a second. That surprise turned into a smirk faster than Nick expected. “As opposed to every other day? Gee, thanks for that.” She spoke sarcastically, as she walked around Nick and toward the front door.

Nick couldn’t help but shake his head as he fell in line behind her, putting on his own shoes at the entrance. Well, she knew how to play that game. “Your dates must go through a lot of pain just to get you to accept an innocent compliment.” 

The rabbit’s slight grin stayed as she slipped her shoes on, opening the front door and heading out. He followed quietly, shutting the door behind him. “You could say that. You might also say that I don’t have the time for that romantic stuff, especially not in college.”

Nick nodded quietly as he padded along behind her. It didn’t surprise him that she was that committed to her studies. Personally, he planned on being single throughout college as well. Unfortunately for that vixen last night, who was not particularly impressed when he left. Another issue he didn’t want was that conversation with his mother. It would be. . . Painful.

The questions. There would be too many questions and demands. “Sounds like a good plan. Relationships are complicated and problematic, even considering the benefits. . . . So, any thoughts on our next instructor?” He asked, finally walking fast enough to walk beside her.

The rabbit looked over and gave him another shrug. Internally, he amusingly remembered the communication’s textbook talking about non-verbal’s being integral to communication. For this rabbit, it was obviously true. “I honestly don’t know. His reviews were good on Ratonmyprof, so, he should be good. His little blurb about his history didn’t say much. I hope he’s good, especially considering the subject. I mean, ethics are very important to me. . . A lot of people I know back home could use this course. . .” She murmured, her voice drifting off.

Nick’s face turned to a grimace. He knew just what she meant. Back in the ‘capitol’ of ‘anyone can be anything’, he felt that adage wasn’t quite honest. “That would definitely be a drag. I also hope he is not an instructor who only reads off the slides, too. That can be a little dry.”

Judy nodded. “Hopefully not.”

* * *

They didn’t worry long. Zreaddy, an old Coyote, was a former military police officer, turned police chief of a small hamlet nearby. He was old, and tired. And this was the final year he would teach.

He also did not believe in PowerPoints. The two mammals were captivated by him in the front row, as he began by telling them that you would learn nothing of ethics from the course material alone. For the first day, after the course introduction, he shared stories of his own.

In one, he was the ethical police chief that made the right decisions and saved the day, basically. The next, he was the naïve cop who made a horrible decision. Zreaddy also invited them to challenge anything he said, and to call him an ‘asshole’ if that is what they believed. But, no one dared speak up to him, especially after his lecture finished.

Both mammals walked out of that class, a little bit stunned. Nick had hoped for teachers with relevant stories and expertise, but so far, they were on a level he couldn’t have imagined.

“Have to say, I hoped for a lot in that class. But. . . I couldn’t have predicted meeting someone like that.” Nick said as they strode down the halls, seeking out the cafeteria. They knew it was around there somewhere. At least, they thought.

Judy shrugged, walking a little ahead of the fox, her violet eyes looking around for a sign, or map, or something with ‘cafeteria’. “I liked him. A little harsh, but I know a lot of bunnies back home that could use a little harshness.” 

Nick smiled, watching her black-tipped ears twist and turn to all the sounds of the passing animals. “Hey, I never said I didn’t like him. I like him a lot. Intense for a first-day, but I suppose that’s the point.”

She let out a ‘ha’, turning to glance over her shoulder at him for a moment. “You’re just a little freaked out because he decided to pick on you, Nick. Pretty brave of you to claim you’ll resist ‘tarnishing’.” She responded softly.

Nick chuckled. At that claim, the old coyote cornered the fox, and began asking him how he’d react to a Field Training Officer doing something morally wrong. The intention was to point out that Nick would avoid causing issues to avoid losing his job. He thought Nick would concede.

But Nick was taught differently. And, as he was learning, so was Judy.

“Uhuh, you’re tell me that little Miss Hopps would be willing to compromise her ethics? Hmm? It’d be funny to see you taking bribes and species profiling.” He mused. “A cute bad bunny cop.”

The reaction that unfolded before him left his head spinning. Judy turned quick on her heel, as one defiant finger rose and poked beneath his chin. He halted, trying to prevent a collision. The stern look on her face surprised him, and he barely opened his maw before she cut him off.

“Let’s get this straight now, tod. Bunnies can call other bunnies cute, but, other mammals shouldn’t call other bunnies cute. It’s diminutive, and insulting, and I really hope you don’t intend that towards me. Okay?” She talked, starting firm but taking a calmer tone as it proceeded.

Nick nodded slightly. He never intended to insult her, he was just stating. . . He meant it as a compliment. _Wait, she doesn’t like compliments_. “I’m sorry. I meant no offence, Carrots, I swear.” He responded, slightly nervous. “I mean, I didn’t kn-“

“I know, Nick.” She said with a grin, standing on her tippypaws as she took her clawed digit from his chin and stroked the bridge of his muzzle. Instinctively, he hunched down, and a whine-like sound escaped his maw. “I just like seeing you get defensive. It’s. . . Amusing.” She continued, removing her finger to bop his little nose. Which sniffed/snorted in response, before he could stop himself.

She let out a laugh, taking a hop back and turning around as she walked down the hall. “You’re funny, fox. C’mon, it’s this way.”

The fox stared at the figure as she pointed to a large neon sign with the words ‘Food Court Hall’ and an arrow pointing to a large entryway. But, Nick wasn’t paying much attention to that.

He felt uncomfortable, his mouth hanging slightly open as the figure turned down the hall and disappeared from view. He got that it was weird, and all, but why was he physically uncomfortable, specifically-. _Wait_. The fox clamped his mouth shut, looking down briefly. _Oh._

_“Not cute then. Little bit of a tease, though.”_ Nick barely whispered, well out of Judy’s hearing capabilities. That rabbit was going to make a very good cop. She’d be able to con a con-fox straight, he imagined.

* * *

Three minutes later, they were looking at an image that did not surprise them. And, it shouldn’t have surprised them that it was currently yelling.

“HELLLLLOO ROOMIES!” The maned wolf belted out from behind the cafeteria counter, the moment he saw them get in line. He was behind the order counter, dressed in a long white apron, with a terrible paper chef hat wedged between his giant ears. The apron barely seemed long enough, perhaps even a few inches too short if Nick measured, he imagined.

A terribly excited Chrys waved his arms foolhardily when they got to the front of the line. “How’s your second day going? Did you like your teacher? Did he teach you anything yet? Was he rude? Or was he great?” He queried rapidly, a furnet-bagged tail wagging behind him.

Nick just shrugged, while Judy raised an eyebrow. “It’s going. . . good, so far. He’s serious, but, it’s a serious class. How’s your day going?” She asked innocently, while Nick just nodded along with what she was saying. 

“Oh, it’s going all right! Drew the short straw, so taking orders instead of dominating the world with my cooking. Speaking of, what do you two want for lunch? Hint, hint, I think you’ll both enjoy the stir fry noodles today!” He shouted, his eyebrows wiggling madly with the suggestion.

Personally, Nick had not been able to decide which was weirder. Sober Chrys or wasted Chrys. But the fox couldn’t knock his confidence. Even when he met the wolf, absolutely plastered and wearing a lampshade, he was still ranting about his cooking.

Looking at the menu on the wall behind Chrys, Nick quickly decided that stir fry noodles were probably the safe bet. “Yeah, I’ll take the stir fry noodles, with crickets, _Lampwolf.”_ He responded, gesturing with outlandish finger guns.

A grimace formed on Chrys’ face, as his eyes narrowed. “Yeeeahh, pleasedon’tcallmethat.” He grumbled, as he began dishing out Nick’s order. The wolf’s eyes then shifted to Judy, who was lightly chuckling.

“I’ll have the same, except no crickets and more veggies.” She responded to the look, as Nick shuffled further down the line after Chrys plopped his plate down on the counter.

“You’re going to want to be careful around this one, he’s probably going to slap you with a regrettable nickname soon. You wear one lamp shade. . . ” Chrys grumbled, as Nick turned to look at the two with a smug grin.

“I think _Carrots_ knows that by now. And, that’s two as of last night, Lampwolf.” Nick proudly declared, as he turned to the cashier and paid for his meal.

Chrys frowned back at him, as Judy levelled a steely purple glare in the fox’s direction. “Now that’s not even creative, Nick. You can do better than that.” Chrys responded, acting clearly disappointed with his creativity.

Yeah, it wasn’t his best work. But the way she gets mad when he used it. . . The nose wiggle, the ear tilt, all of it. It was too cute, he had to stick with ‘Carrots’.

“I’m not too concerned about it.” Judy responded, picking up and paying for her own plate. “After all, if that’s all he can come up with, he’s not going to be much competition in class.” She spoke, causing Nick to snort as he turned away from the counter.

“We’ll see you later, Chrys. I need to prove to this rabbit how intelligent I am.” He said, turning to walk backward toward the tables in the cafeteria.

The rabbit was looking at him very amusingly, following with her over-flowing plate of vegetables. Looking down at his own plate, he realized that Chrys had either screwed him, or over spooned her. . . _Clever wolf_.

“Oh, I don’t think I have much to worry about, considering how observant you were this morning. Even with night vision, you’re still pretty blind. And. . .” The rabbit paused, Nick frowning down at her. What else could she insult him wi-

_Thud_. Nick’s fur went straight up in fear, realizing he backed into something solid, and cold. He managed to stabilize his plate of food, before turning to look over his shoulder.

A column. He hit a column. Then, he heard the laughter coming from the rabbit as she passed by him. “Oops, that’s a wall.” She spoke with a lilt, before another little giggle fell out.

_Smooth, Nick, real smooth_. He thought to himself, as he turned and followed her. _At this rate, she’s going to think you’re an idiot._

* * *

After a quick lunch, filled with meaningless banter, they went to their next set of classes. In Criminal Justice Intro, their teacher was an old rhino, Sidney John, whose speeches consisted of mostly sentences starting with ‘back in my day’. He told tales about when he had to foot-pump the siren in his cruiser, and how their radio was the size of a lunch box.

Both left with the impression that they were going to need to really focus in that class, especially since he made it clear that the course was way too much material in too little time.

Communications, on the other hand, had a different instructor. A younger wolf, he mentioned that he worked with Dave before they retired. For the first class, everyone had to get up and spend thirty seconds introducing themselves and telling everyone where they were from. It was both entertaining and daunting for many of them; but given the fact the teacher said it wouldn’t be the last time, it was good practice.

Nick certainly hoped that he impressed. He knew that the rabbit sure impressed him, talking about sunny Bunnyburrow and her family. The fox thought she might freeze up, but he clearly underestimated her. Again. He’d have to stop doing that. 

Afterwards, they went back to the dorm, once again finding Chrys in the kitchen, with a sheep fawning over him. Him, still oblivious, of course. After a quick meal of. . . something that Nick couldn’t even begin to pronounce, they decided to watch a little bit of Netflocks.

A few ridiculous shows later, the group of four split off into their own rooms, exhausted from the second day of college.

Laying on his almost-too-small bed, Nick glanced around his room. It was still a little bit of a mess, with most of his clothes still stored in his suitcases, and pens and books all over. But, he would get that all sorted on the weekend.

From across the hall, his ears could still hear Judy’s loud parents on speakerphone, the thin walls doing little to halt their bombastic voices. The loud _brrr_ in his ear signalled his own call was going through, causing him to tighten his grip on the slim metal object.

It barely rang twice before a female voice came through the speaker. “Hey, Nick. How are you doing?”

Nick smiled softly at his mother’s voice. Still so sweet, even after having to deal with him as a kit. He was an absolute terror. “I’m fine, mom. I like the instructors so far, but, still nervous about it. I’m a little late to the college game. . . And I really don’t want to let Dad down..”

He heard his mom scoff, deepening his smile. “ _Oh_ , posh! It’s never too late, and your dad would never be disappointed with you. . . . Besides, you’ve got so much more life experience than any of those other kids! That’s worth the most to the ZPD! Have you made a lot of friends with your classmates, or is it still a little early for that?”

She always had faith in him. It didn’t matter what it was, he could always count on her. “Haven’t really met a lot of them yet, but one of them is my roommate, so, we’ve talked a lot more. She’s pretty much the only one I’ve talked to so far. The rest don’t seem impressed that us smaller mammals are in their classes. But, she’s awesome. Smart, funny, and very friendly so far.”

Nick did not realize his mistake until the silence lingered for a few moments too long. “ _She?_ Ooooo, you better tell me more than that, Nick!”

He suddenly became aware of the fact that Judy might be able to hear him. And his mother. With those ears, he couldn’t risk it. “No, it’s nothing like that, Mom.” He hadn’t even really thought of her in that way. Sure, he kind of flirted, but she was a rabbit. Well, he had to admit, she was a _attractive_ rabbit. And fun to be around. 

“I mean, she’s nice, but she’s just. . .” He spoke, before his mind drifted to thinking about her. The way she talked, the way she moved.

“She’s just _what?_ ” His mother demanded, some amusement showing in her voice.

It wasn’t that he was opposed to the thought. He supported interspecies relationships, and he didn’t dislike her or anything. But, she was a rabbit. She probably wanted to be with a rabbit; that was the likely thing, right? 

And she made it pretty clear that she didn’t want to be in a relationship. That was the end of it.

“She’s just. . . Somebody.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I am not going to make a promise to have the next one out next week, as right now it is group project and final's time up here. But, I will be actively working on preparing the chapter as much as I can. Hopefully, I might have it done before this coming Sunday or Wednesday, but that is not a promise.
> 
> Thanks for reading this. Kudos or comment if you liked it, or let me know if you didn't. I'm just a nice little Canadian up here.


	5. He was small (. . . not that)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. It's a little long. And has a lot of important goings on in it. And more Sharla pinings stuff. A lot of dumb Chrys. And, eh, something exciting happens at the end. Sorry for the delay, but its both project time and finals hour for me here.
> 
> I again own Chrys (although I refuse delivery), Disney owns everything else. Credit to Semisonic for the original version of the song, but, the Kap Slap version cannot be beat (That's an advisory to listen to it)
> 
> EDIT: Please check the end notes for an important advisory before you comment.

The rest of the week went fast. And, so did the following one, much to Judy’s distress. For some reason, the classes never seemed long enough, and the breaks between were always agonizing to spend wandering around the college.

_Well, not that agonizing_ , she admitted to herself. Nick was a pretty good distraction.

Their friendship was not up for much debate at this point, since they seemed to default spending all their free time together. Which, considering they had the same classes, was a lot of time. Judy figured the whole ‘moved far from home’ thing also factored into it. She had Sharla, but the sheep was always too busy fawning over Chrys.

Of course, Chrys was still denser than lead about it. They bet on when he would figure it out, Judy taking ‘some time’ and Nick saying ‘never’. 

On the subject of Nick again, Judy was impressed with the fox. In every class, he seemed to have a decent grasp of the concepts. Not as good as her at times, but, still pretty good. He even beat her a little in gym; the speed running portion, anyway. She could run circles around him with endurance, but if it was a short race, he’d edge out a win. Other than that, they were evenly matched, with Judy just barely edging out a win on the weights.

The rest of the small mammals in class began to congregate around the two in the classrooms, somehow convinced it would help them. Nick was very amiable about it and offered to help everyone with their work. Their competitions in class continued, but it was less about the points and more about the fun now. Dave was quite amused at the rivalry, although he often proved that they both were still green to even further amusement.

But what was not amusing is what Judy was up to this Friday, after finally getting out of class today. Sitting in the small Heath Services waiting room, the rabbit was busy stewing with anger and discomfort.

Sixty tablets. Sixty tablets, all missing. Somehow, she forgot to bring the filled prescription, and only took her nearly-empty bottle. Her right foot was tapping, instinctively, as she continually wondered how she might have forgotten them. She was sure that she put them in there, but, after two bed-overturning searches, they were still unaccounted for.

Part of her wondered if her parents might have taken them out of her bags. . . It would fit with their current MO, especially her mother’s hopes and dreams.

A deer receptionist looked up from her desk at Judy, the nametag of Donna on her white coat. “The doctor should be done with her patient soon. We apologize for the wait, we’re a little behind the ball today.” She spoke softly, clearly noticing the anxious and angry bunny.

Judy immediately stopped tapping her foot, suddenly thinking about what that might have seemed like to the receptionist. “Sorry. . . It’s just, you know, hormones, stress, and shit.”

There was one part of being a rabbit that she would gladly give up – the constant heat-like hormones. Other species were lucky, with a heat season only lasting a few months, tops. Rabbits, it was basically never-ending hellfire.

She could deal with her own urges, that wasn’t an issue. Mostly. The issue was that every buck could smell it. And if they smelled that, they got brave and stupid quick. If they weren’t irritating enough regularly it made them insufferable.

Luckily, there was a solution. With how many does reached maturity in high school, a lot of money and resources had been spent to try and prevent underage sex and pregnancy. Not only did the birth control pills prevent pregnancy, they also quelled the more ‘displeasing’ elements of lagomorph cycles.

And somehow, she left over two month’s supply back home, with no more prescription refills on file. They weren’t cheap things, either. At first, she tried to get by without it yesterday, but it quickly became apparent that bucks were way too aware. She resisted the urge to stamp her foot again, instead trying to focus on the dead air hanging the open doorway across from the seating area.

Above the door hung a sign that said, ‘Condom Room’, which summed up its purpose. From the littlest mouse to an elephant, they really tried to supply for everyone. As she waited, she watched several different species, male and female, walk into the room and both embarrassingly and quietly look around for their ‘size’.

Some males weren’t that timid, unfortunately, including some rabbits. A few of them were extra creepy, and finger-gunned her as they went in, making her want to puke. A few females seemed confident in there, some also grabbing sets that Judy was almost sure weren’t for their own species. . . Let alone the female wolf she saw grabbing a variety.

Deciding that wasn’t a good place to stare, she pulled out her phone. She noticed the green light flashing in the corner, and the rabbit pulled up her messaging app in curiosity. She let out a short snort and smiled lightly.

**N: I’ll be waiting in the gym when you are done. That is, if I don’t die first.**

Tapping quickly, Judy sent her reply.

**J: Stuck waiting to see the doctor. Don’t tire yourself out too much, I still need to work out. Otherwise, have fun sitting around panting.**

**N: Shit. I’m already exhausted, and all I did was put on my pants. Lol.**

**J: Idiot.**

**N: Hey, might as well get the panting started sooner than later, right?**

Judy was about to compose a reply when a voice called out. “Judy Hopps?” A small brown squirrel in a white doctor’s coat called out from a nearby doorway. “Here.” She called out, raising her hand. Judy immediately stuffed the phone into her pocket, stood up, and walked towards the squirrel. 

The squirrel nodded, moving her gaze to check the clipboard she held in her little paws. “My name is Doctor Orrel, but just call me Jill. Come in and have a seat.” Jill gestured to an open door behind her, before turning and walking in herself. Judy walked swiftly behind her as they headed for the room with the large M4 sign hanging over it. Naturally, there were different sized rooms for different patients.

Walking in, Judy took a quick glance around the room, which was sparsely decorated with two chairs, a desk, and an examination table. Well, and counters with a bunch of medical stuff on it, and walls papered with some pretty horrifying anatomy pictures. More than a few with posters of STI’s, warning signs, different contraceptives, and advisories. Somehow that didn’t surprise her. There was also a poster with cautions about interspecies relationships, emulating the ethos of ‘measure twice’ and ‘ask your doctor first’. 

Deciding not to focus on the creepy posters, Judy hopped and took a seat in the slightly oversized chair next to the desk, as the squirrel also bounded up on the one by the desk.

“So, what did you make an appointment for?” The squirrel asked, quickly jotted a few things down on her clipboard. Judy internally wondered what she could be filling out already, but, decided that it was better not to ask.

“Well, I was wondering if I might get a prescription for pregnancy prevention pills. . . Y’know, specifically the ones that control heat symptoms?” She asked, her ears perking up as she watched the squirrel for a reaction. Doctors were supposed to be non-judgmental, but that was often more of a myth than a reality.

The squirrel sighed and shook her head with more scribbling. Judy’s ears drooped, moving her gaze to the floor. “Alright, unfortunately I have a few questions first. Are you sexually active?”

Judy’s brow furrowed. “Well, no-“

“Any plans to do so in the near future?”

Judy felt a heat rising in her ears as they laid back against her head. She didn’t have any plans, right? Definitely not, there was no one she wanted to be with. And she could never give her mother the satisfaction of being right. “No. . . It’s just, well, I want to control the heat symptoms right now. I’m getting a lot of unwanted advances and stuff, and the _other_ things are starting to interfere with my schooling.”

The squirrel looked up from her clipboard, a slight frown on her face. “Well, the bad news is I can’t help you right now. The pharmaceutical company’s factory that makes that pill had an issue with their plant happen last week, and supply has been cut off for now. For rabbits, I’m sure you know there is a high demand for it in college. We need to prioritize based on who is sexually active.”

Judy didn’t know what to say for a moment, staring at the squirrel with a blank stare. Even trying to last the past two days was annoying and distracting. The idea of having to endure college without it was horrifying.

“Just. . . for two weeks, though. That’s when the next shipment is slated to come in. Until then, I really don’t have much I can offer you to help with the heat symptoms. If you want, I can send you an email as soon as its in.” Jill’s look softened. 

Judy, on the other hand, was only slightly less angry. At least she wouldn’t have to wait too long, right? “Yeah, send me an email as soon as you can. My email’s just my college one, in my contact info.” She murmured.

The squirrel frowned, but this time with a hint of sadness. “. . . Was there anything else you needed?”

The rabbit shrugged with a clear frown on her face. There wasn’t much to be happy about it, but there was not much she could do about it either. Two weeks, she could do it. Then again, Rhett was going to send males her way anyway. She hopped down from the chair and put on a brave smile. “No, that was it. Thanks.”

Before she could head out the door, the squirrel spoke up again. “Well, you know, if what you’re worried about is your schooling, you know there is one natural way to get rid of the symptoms?” Jill mentioned, causing Judy to pause at the door, turning to look at the doctor.

She smirked at the squirrel. “Yeah, I know. . . But if I do that, I’ll start needing those pills as a contraceptive, now won’t I?”

Jill paused, nodding reluctantly. “You’ve got a point there. Well, I hope your studies aren’t too affected. You’ll be the first on my list of contacts when it comes in, I promise.”

* * *

Walking into the gym, after changing into some more exercise-conducive clothes, Judy didn’t have to look around long to find the fox on a treadmill. She frowned, noticing that he was barely jogging along, earbud’s hanging from his ears.

She smirked, as she hopped up onto the treadmill beside him. “Hello, Carrots.” The fox rang out, verifying her approach was not as stealthy as she’d hoped. Or, the fox was not actually listening to music. . .

“Hi, Nick.” Judy responded, as she started up her treadmill at a light jog. She quickly matched the stats on his treadmill, smirking back up at Nick.

The fox tried to sneak a glance over her outfit, but it was a little too obvious even for him. He always had wandering eyes. “So, are things okay?” He pondered, clearly sensing something amiss.

She sighed. “Not as well as I’d hoped. But nothing a little exercise won’t solve.” Judy responded. Internally, she doubted that exercise would make her feel much better, but it was worth a shot.

Silence hung in the air for a few minutes. “So, our regular bet? Whoever gives first pays for dinner?” The fox mused, looking over with a grin. They never had to buy dinner, considering Chrys, but it was still the bet.

Judy let out a laugh. With her right hand, she began turning up the treadmill’s speed. Nick, in turn, did the same.

With any luck, it would wear off a little of her. . . ‘stress’.

* * *

She won. The fox might have the speed, but the rabbit had way more endurance. As expected, after working through the fields most of her youth. After they crawled off the machines, they worked the rounds on the exercise machines. Judy could outperform him on those, but, only by a little bit. But she was not going to let her lead be taken from her, no matter how hard he tried. They worked around for a bit until both were too exhausted to continue, and slowly limped their way back to their residence.

Collapsing on the ugly green couch, the two sunk into the couch taking in deep breaths, trying not to pant heavily. The nearby clock on the wall read 7:21 PM, meaning they’d spent well over two hours in the gym.

Unfortunately, the session had done little to help Judy’s ‘problem’. Thinking back on it, exercising in a room filled with countless pheromones was probably not the wisest. Worst still, it affected her so much that she caught herself staring at Nick a few times.

Which only served to prove how annoying these two weeks were going to be. She had no interest in Nick whatsoever, yet because of her heat even the fox was distracting her. Especially watching him exercise. I mean, she couldn’t deny that he would be an attractive specimen for a fox, but that wasn’t her thing. She didn’t even have a thing, as far as she knew.

“Y’know, if I’d known about the level of physical fitness involved in this course, I might have reconsidered applying.” Nick joked, a small laugh escaping his lips.

Judy shook her head with a smirk. She highly doubted that. “We both know that wouldn’t happen. You’re enjoying this course too much.” She responded. He was also good at it, too. At least the theory half of it.

Nick only offered a groan in response. Judy half laughed, amused by the tired fox. But what he said about the program reminded her of something. Something she’d been trying to figure out for a while now. 

She still didn’t know why he wanted to be a police officer. 

Of all the questions that they’d asked each other over the last few weeks, that one hadn’t come up. They had become close over the last few days, but he seemed tight-lipped about the whole thing. She was curious why this pretty-boy fox was sitting beside her, of all places. “So. . . Why did you decide to become a police officer?” She asked, innocently, as she looked up at him.

The fox tensed up for a second, and Judy immediately regretted asking. But he just smiled before turning to look at the bunny beside him. “. . . Would you believe I have a thing for women in uniform?” He murmured with a small grin.

Judy rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Har, har.” She gave him a light punch on the shoulder, causing the fox to exaggerate the hit as he leaned away and rubbed his shoulder.

He chuckled for a second, before looking forward again. “No, it’s true. Well, not really. . . It’s kind of a long story.”

The rabbit shrugged. “I’ve got time.” He wasn’t going to avoid this one, not if she could help it.

He let out a sigh. “Okay then. . . . I think I was eight, maybe nine. . . I was small, and passionate like you. . . and all I wanted to do was join the Junior Ranger Scouts. . .”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was dark that night, the streets barely illuminated by the artificial lighting. Not too cold, though. Sahara Square, after all.

He stared across the street at the scene. A little kit, crying, huddled against a wall. He did not have to do anything. It had been a long night, a long shift. It wasn’t the police’s job. His parents had to be nearby. And it was a fox, too.

He had the choice right then to walk away. Any other day, and he might have.

But something made him cross the street. Something told him this was important. “Hey, kit.” The large mammal said as he leaned down to the little fox. At first, the fox flinched away from him, so he held back and raised his hands in a reassuring pose. “I’m a police officer with the Zootopia Police Department. I’m here to help.”

The boy looked up at him, still wary of the large mammal. “What’s wrong? Can you tell me what happened?” He asked the boy, looking from the fox to the discarded muzzle nearby.

For a few moments, the little kit seemed unsure of it all, but the officer let the request settle in. The fox stared up at him with large green eyes, and for a second, the officer thought that he’d run, or not respond.

But then, the little boy told him what happened, starting to sob again as he gripped the kneeling mammal’s arm. How his mother got him his uniform, about how hard he worked to memorize the oath and the rules of the Junior Ranger Scouts. And then, how it all turned, how scared he was when they pinned him to the ground, the cold feeling of the muzzle, and a kit’s broken heart and soul.

“W-well. . . Nick- it was Nick, right? I can see that you are upset. What they did was wrong, unfair, and unacceptable. In fact, I am going to go and talk to them. You deserve to be a Junior Ranger Scout, just like them.” The officer started, before the young kit grabbed his arm tightly. 

“No, don’t!” Nick responded, the tears still flowing down his cheeks. “I don’t _want_ to be a Junior Ranger Scout! They’re s-stupid, and. . And I-I’m a f-fox, they-“

“H-hold on, Nick.” The officer said, holding up a hoof to halt the little kit’s line of thought. “Don’t limit yourself like that. You’re more than a. . a fox.” The officer said words he’d never believed before. Still didn’t. Wait, why did he not believe them? 

“. . . And being a fox is never a negative thing. Don’t ever believe that. You don’t have to be a Junior Ranger Scout, but that doesn’t make you lesser than them. If you don’t want me to go in and talk to them now, that is okay. But don’t put yourself down for their benefit. You are whatever you want to be. . . And still, I’d like to take a statement from you, and I promise you I will talk to the parents of the children about their conduct. . . They’re wrong about you, and they need to know that. . . Do your parents live around here?” The officer continued.

“Y-yes, my mom does. . . B-but, why do you want to help m-me?” Little Nick asked, stepping back away from the officer. The young police officer could see the mistrust in his eyes. And the officer’s heart broke, thinking about how he was going to walk away from the crying kit.

“Because. . . I am a police officer. I work to serve and protect the citizens of Zootopia. All of them, from an elephant to a mouse. And. . . I joined because I wanted to help people. And you, young fox, need help.”

The mammal spoke, unsure at first but steadying at the end. The boy sniffled again, and the constable reached into his back pocket and pulled out a hanky to hand to Nick. The little fox took it and blew his nose.

Taking the kit’s little paw, the officer smiled at the boy. “C’mon, I’ll take you home. And then sometime tomorrow, I’ll be having a conversation with their parents about their conduct. If you want, you can join me. . . And maybe I can help you get into an organization who takes their oaths to heart. Like the Junior Constable program, maybe.”

“O-okay. . . What’s your name, officer-sir?” The kit asked, jogging quickly to keep up with the massive officer’s legs.

The mammal smiled down at him. “My name is Constable Bogo. But, you can call me Bogo.”

That one evening with Nick and his mother, and the ones that followed, would forever affect Bogo. And, perhaps, the world.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Sooo, that’s why. From then on, he started hanging out at our house a lot. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he and my mother got really close. . . I mean, my father died when I was young, so, y’know I don’t blame her. About a year after, they moved in together, and Bogo’s been my dad ever since. Bogo half pushed, half inspired me. We spent a lot of time together over the next few years. He kind of shoehorned me into the Junior ZPD Constables, I don’t even know how. Heck, when he became chief, he lobbied for the Mayor to open the police to all mammals, so. . . Yeah, that’s it.” Throughout the story, the fox hadn’t noticed the rabbit turn her whole body towards him.

Legs tucked beneath her, facing the slightly melancholy fox, Judy’s ears were focused on him. As were her eyes. She’d never have guessed it would have been a reason so. . . Complex. And Bogo. Chief Bogo was his _dad_? She needed to ask about that later, but right now there was a fox to comfort.

She reached her arm out, resting her paw on his knee. “Nick, I’m glad you told me.”

The fox turned his head, eyes widening when he saw how close she was. He immediately shifted himself a little further away, turning his gaze away for a moment, adopting his trademark grin by the time she looked back. Judy instantly frowned at him. What was it about males and emotions? “So, what about you? Why do you want to be a police officer?” He asked, as he stared down into her violet eyes.

Judy leaned back, shifting herself to turn back to the front of the couch. How could she follow that story? “I. . . Really don’t know exactly. I’ve always wanted to be a police officer. I’ve always wanted to help people, and to make the world a better place. . . Sorry it’s not as exciting a tale as yours. And, sorry for making you relive that event.”

She shrugged, her ears falling again. This earned a snort from the fox, causing her to turn and glare at the smiling red-devil. Her face showed her slight anger at his laughter, but, that smile seemed a little too genuine to her. “Hey, we’ve all got a story. And yours isn’t that bad. Many great officers started for far less virtuous reasons. I think you’re going to be a great officer. . .” He spoke, as he reached out his paw towards her shoulder

She tensed up. What was he doing? Staring into those emerald eyes, she couldn’t read him as that paw got closer and closer to her shoulder. Even his head seemed to loom closer. Instinctively, she leaned a bit closer. Her heart beat quicker, and she felt a heat rising in her as those eyes seemed to soften.

What was wrong with her?

But then, he seemed to hesitate. In that single second he suddenly shifted his paw to rest against the back cushion. His other paw shot out into a long stretch. When he settled back down, he moved a little further away from her on the couch.

She frowned at him, angry that he’d pull away from her. Especially when they were so _close_.

Wait, no. What? She turned away again, reaching up to stroke her limp ears as she felt the heat spread into the floppy appendages. Something was seriously wrong. Maybe she was sick? I mean, it was college, there was enough bugs going around as it was. I mean, it wasn’t because she was at-

“HEY YOU GUYS.” A voice bellowed from the kitchen, the two jumping with surprise. To Judy’s amusement, Nick appeared to completely puff up as his fur stood on end. Looking at the alert-posture pouf that was once his tail, she couldn’t stifle the laughter.

The fur settling, Nick turned his head to glare at the giggler. His angry look only made her laugh harder, as she leaned back and pounded the couch with a fist. Approaching thumps revealed the approaching yeller, although Judy was more than sure of who it was.

“What’s up?! What happened?” Chrys asked as he rounded the corner. By that time, the fox’s fur was mostly flat. His tail was still a chimney brush though, and Chrys picked up on what happened between the laughing rabbit and the puffed fox.

But the reaction wasn’t what she expected. “Oh, sorry Nick. I didn’t mean to spook ya.” The maned wolf apologized, a concerned look on his face. Nick, who’d turned to face him, merely waved his hand at the wolf in forgiveness, as his tail slowly bushed down.

“That’s alright, I’ll live. . . “ He started, a tired note hanging in the air.. The wolf held up his hands though, with an upset expression on his face.

“I mean, I can go away. You can finish. . . Er- whatever?” He squeaked out, causing Nick to suddenly hop up from his chair. Judy sat up, staring at the two canids. 

“What was up, Chrys? Whatcha shouting for?” The fox interjected. His brown paws went across his chest, his left foot tapping impatiently.

Suddenly, Chrys seemed to remember his purpose in life as his face broadened to a smile again. “Oh, yeah! Hey! I was just talking to the guys in the unit next door. The college is having a barbeque competition in the parking lot of our unit! They said we should join in, especially since they’re going to keep us up anyway. . . What’dya think?”

The fox relaxed, letting out an audible sigh. “Oh. . . Well, you can count me in. Carrots?” Nick said, gesturing with his arm to the rabbit.

Shifting uncomfortably on the couch, Judy pondered for a moment. She didn’t have any plans, but, her parents had already gotten pretty upset with how many times she’d missed their nightly phone calls. . . And there were a few papers that she wanted to get ahead on. . .

“Sure, why not?” She shrugged. Her parents needed to learn that she was an adult and calling them every night was not going to help them let go. Besides, she was mad about the pill thing. And, the papers could wait.

As another wave of. . . uncomfortable. . . feelings washed over her, Judy conceded that she also wanted to drink away the bad news she got at the doctors. Sitting at home doing papers would just drive her mad with urges. Hopping to the floor, she stood up with a demonic grin. “I’ll go get _Sharla_.”

The rabbit spoke melodically, her gaze locked on the maned wolf as she walked around the two canids. Chrys, on the other hand, just stared at her with a dumb look on his snoot before nodded rapidly and turning back to the fox.

“Yeah, the WCSA got permission to hold it in our parking lot, considering it is the largest! Well, provided we clean up after the party, but that’s a reasonable enough request. They’re going to bring in some kegs from. . .”

The wolf’s voice quieted as she headed into the kitchen and ascended the stairs, two per bound. That wolf was thick, Judy silently admitted. Of course, it didn’t help that Sharla acted as coy as she possibly could on the subject, even denying the truth to Judy.

_Heh, practically sheepishly coy-ote_ , Judy chuckled at the pun as she reached the top landing and walked straight toward her friend’s bedroom. The door was ajar, light beaming through the crack. Sharla had been studying up there since the fox and rabbit had gotten home, and they never bothered with interrupting her.

Slowly pushing the door open, she saw the sheep seated across from the door, hard at work at her desk. One arm was writing furiously, and the other was rested on a large, open book. Judy could tell it had to be an anatomy book or something, because it was huge. Even then, it was probably only an intro anatomy book.

It was quite clear, with how furiously she was still writing, the sheep had not noticed the rabbit’s entry. Strange, considering Chrys’ yell earlier should have woken the neighbours. But, seeing the opportunity to spook her friend, the rabbit hunkered down and began to creep towards the unsuspecting sheep.

Yeah, it was childish. But fun. Frankly, she could use a little bit of fun after today. When Judy reached one foot from the sheep, she could finally see what the sheep was working on. And, she stopped in her tracks.

The sheep’s fastidious pencilling was not ‘writing’, but rather doodling. That doodle, crude, unfinished, but impressive, was one of a stark naked Chrys. So far, the top half from the chest up looked fairly done, but there was not much else of anything lower than that. Judy’s ears went up, watching as the sheep turned her gaze from the scribble to the book to the left of the sheep. 

Judy leaned to the right as she tried to scope out what was in the book, puzzled by what Sharla was looking in a book for while doodling.

She froze, before quickly turning her head away from the book and staring at the wall as her ears started to burn with embarrassment. The title of the page she was on was ‘canid genitalia’, and there, bare on the page, was a scientific drawing of the title.

Taking in a few breaths, Judy calmed herself from the sudden sight and turned her head back to the sheep. To be honest, Judy was surprised with her friend. Not only an artist, but a dirty artist. Judy couldn’t help but have a slightly distressed but amused visage as she looked back at her friend, one eyebrow cocked up. “Uuuuuhhhh, Sharla?!”

The scream was practically deafening, and Sharla nearly jumped out of her chair. Judy couldn’t help but snigger as her friend tried to compose herself. Letting out a few haggard breaths, the expression on the sheep’s face turned to anger. “What the hell?! Why didn’t you knock?!”

Judy had to fight through the laughter, but she managed to get out a staggered response. “I just. . The door was ajar. Thought, you know, might as well let myself in. I _really_ didn’t plan to catch you drawing _porn_.”

“It’s not-!” Sharla started out loud. “It’s not porn.” She continued in a whisper. “I was just, you know, practicing my drawing skills. I need to draw this kind of thing for some tests, y’know. Label them, etcetera.” Sharla responded, giving quite an adequate explanation considering.

“Yeah, uhuh. . . Why your roommate? And how about the fact that you’re drawing him without a cross section, hmmm?” Judy began, a smug look on her face as she crossed her arms.

Sharla looked very sheepish, as she turned her gaze to the ground. “Look, it’s not-“

_Thump-thump-thump_ , noises came from the stairs causing both to look at the still-ajar door. “Is everyone okay up here?!” Chrys yelled, climbing the stairs in a hurry. Clearly the scream had not gone unheard. “Carrots?” Another voice called out, clearly belonging to Nick.

Looking back to her friend, the sheep was moving quick to shove her doodles into a drawer, and practically threw the closed anatomy book across the room onto her bed. “Nothing! Just, Judy decided to scare me, like a terrible friend!”

Judy frowned at the sheep, shaking her head a few times. Terrible friend, really?

The footfalls stopped right outside the bedroom door, and for a moment there was an eerie silence. “May we come in?” Chrys asked, in the poshest voice she’d ever heard from him. Judy looked back at the sheep, who was glancing around the room.

Obviously making sure all the incriminating evidence was hidden, the little stinker. “Yep, come in!” Sharla shouted, a slight smile on her face, which instantly disappeared as she fumbled around on her desk chair, clearly trying to strike an attractive pose.

Instead, the weird exercise ended with Chrys entering the room the moment Sharla fell right out of her chair, causing Judy to burst out laughing. Meanwhile, a fox slinked into the room behind Chrys, his glistening emerald eyes taking a few glances around the room before falling on the misbegotten sheep. This, in turn, released an audible snort from the crimson muzzle.

“You okay?” Chrys asked, his voice holding its regular high-pitched lilt as his head cocked to the side. This turn released one ear from the ceiling, before completely flattened the other, creating yet another hilarious spectacle.

“Yeah! I’m fine! My hoof got caught on the desk!” Sharla spoke as she scrambled to her feet. “What’s up? And why did you come in here, _Judy_?” She practically growled the rabbits name, crossing her arms.

“Weeell, I think she was gonna ask if you wanted to join us for a barbeque party. Before she decided to terrorize you.” Nick mused, crossing his paws as he looked at Judy with a mischievous look. She smiled back with a little snort, before turning to look at Sharla.

“That sounds like fun. I was just going _studying_ , otherwise.” The sheep said, shooting a look at Judy before turning her attention back to the gigantic wolf.

Judy held in the laughter, but unfortunately another snort snuck out. “Yeah, you might want to save some of that study for tonight, when you’re alone. Or, y’know, maybe find a study _partner_?” 

The black sheep’s glare deepened, her brow furrowing at Judy’s smug smirk. “Well, at least I’m interested in study partners. I don’t want to spend college with no _help_.” 

Judy’s smirk died, as the inside of her ears began to redden. Lifting a finger in defiance as her ears laid back in rage/embarrassment, she opened her mouth to-.

“Uh, no?” Nick spoke, with a confused look on his face. The sheep and rabbit turned their gaze to the confused fox, both bearing a look of surprise. The fox suddenly seemed very unsure of himself.

“What did you say?” The sheep asked, in a gasping, surprised face.

“What I said was. . . . no? I mean, we study together, _a lot_. We’re always. . . quizzing. . . each other. . . for . . . class?” The fox slowed, one ear flipping down, the confusion deepening from the looks he was receiving.

To Chrys’ credit -or discredit- he continued to smile straight toward the two female mammals, almost oblivious to what was happening around him.

Judy, on the other hand, had gone down the rabbit-hole in her brain. She hadn’t really thought of it before, but the fox was cute. The long muzzle, big triangular ears, the lithe frame. And that fluffy tail, she couldn’t pretend she didn’t want to hug it. 

A few weeks ago, she’d seen him from the kitchen, wandering around in those boxers the morning after they met, dancing ridiculously to some song. She’d gotten up for an early-morning snack, but she hadn’t expected the near-naked fox to come sauntering down the stairs a few minutes later. Let alone the fact that he never realized that she was there, as far as Judy knew. Instead, she got a good demonstration of the fox’s features. . . . She wasn’t attracted to foxes, not at all. 

But she couldn’t deny that his _features_ were one hell of a show. All wiry, lithe and attractive. At the time she wondered what was under those boxers, and she found herself wondering about it again as she stared at the fox before her. She could clearly remember what was under that shirt, and those pants.

The eyes too, she thought, as she moved her gaze back to his emerald eyes. Which, were still deeply confused, shooting back and forth between the sheep and rabbit. Wait, why was she thinking about _Nick_ like that, of all mammals? A sudden shake of her head cleared her daze.

It was the Heat thing, right? Just like in the gym before. Her mind was just wandering because it was a biological problem. Yes, that was it. Suddenly, she internally groaned as she remembered what the doctor said. _This heat thing is really going to drive me Wilde. Er. Wild_. . . She thought, shaking her head, and immediately turning to Sharla as her ears burned red intensely.

“Yeah, no, I’m going to go get ready for the party.” Judy said quickly, ears burning, before stamping out of the room, making sure to put Chrys between her and Nick as she hustled through the door, hoping to hide her embarrassment.

“That’s a good idea, _Jude_. We’ll talk about studying later. I need to get ready, too. So, all youse males, out. Out, OUT, OUT!” Sharla shouted, as she waved her hands at the two canines. They shuffled out, managing to catch a glimpse of the rabbit before she zoomed into her room, and slammed her door with an audible lock sliding into place.

Looking over to Chrys, Nick couldn’t help but express his confusion. “What did I say?”

Chrys just shrugged as he plodded down the stairs. “I don’t know, all I got from that was we all going’ to a cookout, and the free food is all I care about. I’ll give the cook one chance. If he fails, I’m taking over that barbeque! And then, the world will be mine!”

* * *

Chrys’ barbeque takeover occurred within the first 45 minutes after it was lit. With the way that Chrys had been skulking behind the cheetah who was running it, Judy was surprised that it took the wolf that long.

Luckily, Rhett and his friends were not going to be here. Although there was a fair amount of people milling about in the light of the parking lot, Judy did not have to worry about her brother popping up anywhere, as he was having his own party over back at his dorm.

Which, she was invited to. But no thank you, she was ‘studying’.

She’d hung around with Sharla, Nick, and Chrys when the party began. But, when Chrys took over the grill, Judy started to feel a little claustrophobic with how many people were joining the party and surrounding them. So, she slipped away to hang out on the outskirts of the party, leaning on the hood of a bright red car.

Normally, she wouldn’t lean on a person’s car. It didn’t show a lot of respect, you could damage it, it was somewhat silly, there were lots of reasons not to. But, in this case, it was Nick’s car. They’d all driven around town in it in the past few weeks, Judy being quite thankful that she no longer needed to rely on Rhett. And it was basically a lemon, despite how much he loved to defend it.

It was a Voleswagen Lago, from about 30 years ago. At the time, economy cars were all the rage, and Voleswagen designers thought it would be cool to make an economy-sport-convertible. It was an absolute disaster, especially with how boxy it ended up. But he loved the car, and frankly he was a little adorable with how he babied it. She knew he didn’t care if she leaned on it, since ‘I am going to get it painted someday soon, when I restore it’, and because he’d told her she could. And right now, the familiar car was providing a nice refuge from the crowd of mammals hanging around the barbecue.

She didn’t have a problem with crowds. Not usually, anyway. But right now, with her heat going strong, all the pheromones in the air were distracting and annoying. And, if she was honest with herself, she had some important things to think about.

Like Nick. Sharla had made some whispered jokes about how the rabbit reacted to Nick’s interjection earlier, but Judy was sure that she convinced the sheep that there was nothing going on between them. But that didn’t change to where her head had gone to, or for how long.

And it wasn’t the first time today, either. In the gym, earlier, she had trouble not staring at the fox as he exercised.

Why was she thinking those things about _Nick_? A fox, of all things. She didn’t mean that in a bad way, she was not against interspecies relationships. It was just. . . Unexpected. And out of character. All the feelings she’d ever had at home were directed towards male rabbits, or hares. And in those cases, it was all a physical attraction; their brains always ruined the attraction factor.

She couldn’t deny that he was somewhat attractive. And fun to be around, too. And smart. But he was just a friend. And a good friend, too; she didn’t want to ruin their friendship, or their whole roommate relationship. 

Judy didn’t want a relationship anyway. Not in college, it would be too distracting. Heck, even this heat thing was already so distracting, she couldn’t even imagine how bad a relationship could be.

Letting out a sigh, she finished off another beer. Sluggishly, she stood back up and walked over to the nearby recycle. She placed it gently into the large blue bin, heading back to lean on the car again.

_Seven beers down, yet I still don’t feel much better_. She sighed. Two weeks of these uncomfortable feelings and urges. She could do it, couldn’t she? Judy had faced far worse challenges than two weeks of discomfort. At least, provided it didn’t get much worse.

One ear turned to the side, catching the sound of approaching footfalls. Turning her head, she immediately let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. Of course. Her shadow. Both the first and last mammal she wanted to see right now.

The fox halted, one brow raising. “A sigh? What, you’re not happy to see me, Carrots?” He asked, a slight grin forming when Judy couldn’t hold back a smirk.

“Nah. Just not surprised. You seem to have a knack for finding me. Don’t tell me- you’d be here sooner if it wasn’t for some vixen, right?” She sassed him, crossing her arms as she stood up from the car. That was always his excuse, right? As if he was some great catch. _I mean sure, he’s cute and smart and all that, but I mean, really, why would anyone be attracted to him?_

In response, Nick exaggerated a shrug, sauntering over and joining her as they both leaned onto his car. The springs sagged, displaying their very weak status. “What can I say? I’m in demand, apparently. Especially this time of year. What about you, or, have your ‘isolationist tactics’ paid off this time?” He asked, offering an unopened beer bottle to her as he took a swig of the one in his right paw.

She took the bottle, but instead of opening it, she set it down on the hood. _Maybe later_. “Not well enough. Apparently, a fox was still able to find me.” She responded, elbowing him in the stomach lightly.

He laughed, lightly shaking his head. “What can I say, it’s easy when the target smells good. Plus, you’re the only person I’ve met who goes to a party just to stand in the corner and judge everyone else. What’s up with that?”

She shifted uneasily as her reddening ears fell. Why was he complimenting her smell? Was he complimenting her, or, was it just the heat thing? “I don’t know. . . . What do you mean I smell good?” She asked, watching for the fox’s reactions. It was not the first time he’d offered a half-obvious compliment, and usually she didn’t care to respond. But maybe he didn’t mean it as a compliment? Maybe it was just her heat twisting a normal thing, right?

But something was different. Maybe it was the way he was looking down at her, with those soft green eyes. Or the tone. Or. . . Something was different. He looked away, back towards the party. 

From the distance, they could hear the stereo booming the most ‘current’ pop song possible, along with some ‘classics’. Judy liked whatever sounded good to her, and never bothered with committing to one genre or another. Whatever the current one was, she could barely hear it over the din. “You smell like a rabbit.” He responded bluntly, taking a drink from his beer.

She frowned at him, rolling her eyes at the stupidity. “Dumb fox.” Of course. She didn’t know why she expected anything different from the fox. I mean, it wasn’t like he liked her or anything. He was just her friend, even if he did like to get flirty at times. She didn’t know why she hoped for anything else, as she grabbed the beer from the hood, cracking it open and taking a swig.

“But all rabbits have their own unique twist. Yours is kind of. . . Citrusy. It makes you easy to pick out in a crowd.” He added, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She looked back at Nick, incredulously.

Her brow furrowed instinctively. She smelled like citrus fruit? Well, she supposed that wasn’t so bad. But how often did he go around sniffing things, with that cute black nose of his? “So, what, you just go around sniffing people, rating their scents as good or bad?”

Nick laughed. “It makes it easy to find people I know and can be quite useful. Like this party, for example. Lot of scents but knowing yours makes it easy. And don’t pretend like you don’t sniff people too, Carrots. I’ve seen that pink nose twitching several times.”

Judy rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Nick. It’s instinct, and I don’t go tracking people across parties.” She said, resisting the urge to try and cover her nose. She knew it was twitching, out of nervousness. Judy only hoped that he wouldn’t notice.

Nick shrugged, letting silence set in for a moment. Judy took that moment to look over the fox again. It was the blue shirt again, like from that one day. Well, it wasn’t blue. It was a white shirt, but, was completely covered in blue flowers. Same difference. It was the same shirt he was wearing after he so blatantly walked through the halls in his boxers.

Did he not see her? Or, did he decide to give her a show, somehow? If his nose was as good as he seemed to think, how couldn’t he have smelled her there in the kitchen. Judy’d gotten up early a few times since then, but he was always dressed when he went downstairs after that day. 

It had kind of pissed her off. “So, what was Sharla doing when you got up there?” Nick spoke, breaking the silence and derailing her memories of the scantily clad fox. Her brow furrowed, angrily, before the memory of the sheep came back, forcing a snort out.

“Oh, you know, nothing much. . . Just doodling a naked Chrys, that’s all.” She murmured, causing Nick to briefly choke on his beer. He let out a cough and seemed okay otherwise as she let out a light chuckle.

“Holy shit, you’re kidding, aren’t you?” He asked, looking down at the grinning rabbit. “You’re not kidding. Wow. I’m sad you had to see that. You mean just nude, nude, or. . . . All the equipment?” He asked, bringing Judy’s memories back to both the scribble and the textbook.

Judy shook her head. “She hadn’t finished his ‘equipment’, but she was using her textbook for a guide for that.” She finished, as Nick shook his head. 

“Heh, I bet that was quite a sight for you, Carrots.” He mused, taking a sip from his beer.

Looking over at the grinning male, she felt the heat rise in her ears again. The truth was, she didn’t even really remember what the textbook showed, she looked away so fast. But, she. She needed to get off this subject quickly before her ears burned off. “So. . . Chief Bogo’s your dad?” She asked, turning away and instinctively finishing off her beer.

The conversation changer was very jarring, but Nick seemed to pick up the message. “Yeah, I really don’t have much to say about that. He’s my dad. I mean, we did dad and kit stuff. It’s boring, really.”

Judy shrugged. “Hey, can’t hurt me for asking. He might oversee my promotion, and it might be good to know how not to piss him off.”

Nick laughed, leaning his slender frame back. She turned back, taking in the laughing image before her. She couldn’t help but smile at him, the way his body shook from the vocalization. He was very handsome. The rabbit had denied it before, but she was starting to accept that she was slightly attracted to the vulpine.

It was only the heat, she knew it. And besides, it wasn’t wrong to admit that he was a fine specimen. Staring at the canines in his open mouth, she resisted a primal urge to tremble at the predator’s teeth. She knew she had nothing to fear from him, but the image still affected the rabbit.

“Well, don’t come to me for advice. If my childhood was anything to go by, all I know how to do is piss him off. . . But, if you want, I’m sure I could arrange a meeting with him. Although, be sure not to be seen by my mother. . . She’ll immediately start chatting you up.” He answered, with a sigh. Judy got a little excited at the idea of meeting the chief, although she didn’t exactly understand the thing about his mother.

But she was too focused on the smiling fox in front of her. “Yeah, that sound’s really cool. I mean, I would love to meet and talk to him about. . . Policing.” She murmured. For some reason, the sound of the party dimmed, and she heard another song come on the stereo. Strangely, she could hear the strumming guitar clearly, as the intro began.

_“Closing time, open all the doors and let you out into the world.”_

“I’m sure he’d like you. You’re smart, quick, and you’ve got a lot of moxie. All things that he likes in an officer. And, I mean, I like you too, so, I might as well introduce you two.” The fox added, shrugging as if it wasn’t a big deal.

_“Closing time, turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl.”_

She turned to the fox, who tipped his head back to drain the last of his beer, smacking his lips as he placed the empty bottle on his hood. What did the fox say? Did he say he liked her? That was what he said. What did he mean by that?

_“Closing time, one last call for alcohol so finish your whisky or beer.”_

“What do you mean by that? That you like me?” The rabbit asked innocently, trying to act coy as she looked over the fox yet again that day. He always hung out with her. Always. She couldn’t even remember any time they weren’t together, unless you counted the bathroom and the bedroom. It wasn’t just her choice, it was his. Was that why? Did he like her that way? And, how did she want to react to that?

_“Closing time, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”_

The fox, on the other hand, did not turn toward her for his response. Instead, he focused on the party in front of him. “Yeah, I like you. I think you’re great, and I think you’re a good friend to have.” He responded, leaving it in both less and more ambiguity than before. Clearly, he wanted to disarm the loaded question, but, it was received by two large, deaf ears.

_“I know who I want to take me home.”_

At that moment, Judy wasn’t listening anymore. The heat had stolen the last of her self-doubt. The rabbit was staring deeply at the fox, standing so close to her. He always complimented her, and she always played it off like a joke. But it wasn’t, was it? And now, with her heat hitting it’s peak, she couldn’t ignore how she’d felt about him over the past two days. 

_“I know who I want to take me home.”_

He looked back at the rabbit, who was staring intently back at him. The smooth, black skin of his lips was no longer grinning, as he looked down on her with a concerned stare. That cute, little snoot took in a few sniffs. Even the cute little bumps of recently-trimmed whiskers were distracting.

_“I know who I want to take me home.”_

She felt a warmth build. She knew who she wanted to take her home tonight, and he was right here. She couldn’t stand it anymore. In a blur of movement, she lifted a footpaw to step up on his knee, pushing herself higher as she cocked her mouth to the side as she planted a hard kiss on his crimson muzzle.

_“Take me home.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you go. The divergent point, AND a cliffhanger, to boot.
> 
> Now for the sad part. With the tough two weeks I have ahead of me and the fact I've now run out of drafts, it might be a bit of a spell for the next one. Which, I apologize for leaving you on a cliffhanger for. But, I promise, I will spend as much time as I possibly can on writing the next chapter. As soon as it's done, I promise it will be posted.
> 
> Thanks again for all of your support. 
> 
> EDIT: If you plan to comment in regard to the 'Judy can't be stronger' thing, don't bother. From this moment on, 2017hr Mountain Time, I am no longer going to regard those comments with any seriousness at all. You can read the others and see my response.


	6. How to Deal with a Red-Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that evil title. . . But, _finally_ , I have made my way out of the hellhole of final projects, papers, and exams. And, then it took some time to write this chapter, and I am somewhat sorry for that. It is both a little longer than my average chapter, and it was also fairly difficult. But, finally, here it is, and the drama continues. Yay! No promises for a timeline on the next one, I'm afraid.
> 
> I own Chrys, and regret every moment of it. Judy, Nick, and pretty much the rest of the world belongs to Disney.

As shafts of daylight fell on the resting rabbit’s eyelids, she couldn’t contain a pained groan. _Of course_. Such a wonderful addition to the bongo drums of her hangover. She let out a brief yawn, keeping her eyes tightly shut. It was Saturday after all, the thought alone causing a pleasant smile.

_Back to sleep it is,_ she thought to herself, as she tightened her grip around her pillow, burying her face into its furry, warm texture.

_Wait. . . I don’t have a furry pillow_. She pulled her head back suddenly, as her eyes shot open. Before her, illuminated by the same shaft of light that was her bane, was a dark orange shape. Specifically, a very furry orange neck, that she’d solidly buried her face into a moment ago.

_Who. . . Nick? What is he doing in my room?_ As she looked harder, she realized that her paws were also wrapped around the vulpine object. Oh no. The rabbit began to tug slowly on her arms, trying to slip them from underneath. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

_This can’t be happening. Why is he here?_ She thought frantically, a quick glance around revealing the room was not hers. _I went into his room?_ She could feel anxiety creeping up her back, as she began pulling on her paws even harder. Why was she there, let alone in bed with him? She knew the obvious answer, but that couldn’t really be it, right?

The regret was palpable as her paws finally slipped free, and she rapidly leaned up. Staring at the still-snoozing fox, she tried to recall exactly what had happened last night, to figure out how she could have gotten here. And drew a blank.

Well, not a complete blank. She remembered the weird feelings she was having, and the strange thoughts about kissing the fox. And. . . Yeah, now she remembered kissing him. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

Whatever craziness her heat had caused last night, it was long gone now. _The down side, finally. Only, a little too late._ Judy could remember all the wacky thoughts she was having about him, but she couldn’t understand why of all mammals, she was having them about him. She didn’t have those feelings towards Nick. _Especially_ not Nick, they were friends. Not that there was anything wrong with him, he was nice, funny, all those good things. Maybe it was something to do with proxemics.

The rabbit resisted a vocal groan, as her face winced. This whole situation was bad. What was going to happen to their friendship now? Could they go back to being just friends after this? Would he even want to be just friends? _I mean, he had to have wanted me, too, if we’re, uh. . . here. . . right?_ She thought, suddenly wondering about the extent of his interests. For all she knew, this might have been a dream come true for him.

But then there were flaws in that consideration. He never expressed a ‘love’ kind of interest in her, and, for all that she knew, was only interested in the fact he got some action. For all she knew, he might be one of those kinky predators that enjoy sleeping around with prey animals. Perhaps ‘rabbit’ was on his Fuck-it list.

It was possible. A little hurtful to think about, though. Not that it mattered terribly, she wasn’t interested in a relationship with the fox, or anyone else. It would make it easier to go back to ‘just being friends’ if that was all he was doing. Or maybe he was just drunk, or something, and it just happened. Maybe he’d regret it when he woke up, too.

Neither thoughts were real confidence boosters. But given that and the option of having the fox upset and angry when she explained herself in the morning, she’d take bad options in a heartbeat. 

Speaking of, how was she going to explain it to him? She could tell him the truth or make something up that was less embarrassing. _No, he deserves the truth._ But how much of the truth? Probably as little detail as possible. It was just the heat, she was a little drunk, it wasn’t supposed to happen. Pretty simple. He’d understand, right? 

Or, she could just sneak out now and hope he got the message without her input. Yeah, that sounded like the best plan.

She slowly shifted to the side of the tiny bed, the mattress smelling heavily of the male vulpine’s scent. And now hers, she regretfully noted. As she softly hopped to the floor, Judy began the quiet, slow creep to the door. It was only a few feet to victory, and then she would be able to, literally, put this all behind her.

“Judy?” The vulpine’s soft voice called out, causing the rabbit to freeze as her ears rotated back. Yeah, sneaking out was not the best idea. Now she just looked like a jackass, didn’t she?

“Fuck.” She exhaled, as she turned her head back to Nick slowly. The fox was sitting on the bed with his legs crossed, watching the rabbit with an expression that was either concern, or curiosity. She wasn’t sure which would be more unsettling.

The worst thought that popped in her mind was he was probably interested in more ‘fun’ this morning. She’d take anger, spurn, anything but that option.

She turned her whole body to him, trying to smile through her internal grimace. It didn’t work. “Heeeyyyyy, Nick. . . . . Um. . . . Good Morning?”

A fox eyebrow shot up. “Morning, Judy.” His uncommon use of her name did not escape her notice. For some reason, ‘carrots’ was out. . . Was he angry, or, was he just being serious? Or, something different?

But that was not the problem she needed to focus on right now. Instead, the problem was how to turn down a fox gently? She slowly stepped a little closer to the bed, sighing. By the ear twitch the motion caused, the fox picked up on the sound. “Look. . . . Um. . . I.” She began, unsure of where to start.

“Judy, before you-“ He tried to interject, raising his paws in a halting fashion. But Judy immediately cut him off as she lifted her own paws in response. The fox got the message, as his jaw clicked shut.

“Sorry, just. . . Let me get this out.” She responded watching him with concerned eyes as he nodded slowly in response. “Okay.” She murmured, mostly reassuring herself. Now, how to say this?

If it wasn’t awkward enough already, it was about to get worse. “Listen, I didn’t mean for last night to happen. . . I mean, you’re a great mammal, handsome, you’re interesting. It’s just, you’re my friend. . . And. . . I don’t have feelings for you that way. Last night, I had a little too much to drink, and, along with that I’ve been in. . . . .”

She paused, noticing the curious look on his face. Suddenly this did not seem like a good idea. “Well, in heat, which causes me to have a lot of urges that I can’t always control. Especially not mixed with alcohol, as I found out last night. . . . . I had pills to compensate for it, since it’s a normal thing in Bunnyburrow. But, I ran out. . . And I won’t get any more for a little while, and. . . . I don’t know, I think our friendship mixed with booze and the heat symptoms made this seem like a good plan last night.”

The fox was still watching her intently but said nothing and didn’t appear to react to what she was saying. Strange. “I made some poor decisions in the moment, and I’m sorry I dragged you into my mess. I really, really hope we can still be friends after this. . . But, I’m not interested in a relationship. With you, or anyone. . . . It was a mistake, and, I really hope you can look past it.”

The fox sat there, nodding along. Which only made her feel worse about the whole situation. Was he so dumbfounded that he had nothing to say? Or, was he just upset, and silent? She didn’t want to hurt him, but she really didn’t think a relationship was a good idea, for either of them.

Especially now.

And then, the fox opened his mouth. “Okay, well, nothing happened.”

She stared back, brow furrowing. “What do you mean?” Was he just pretending nothing occurred? Not exactly the most mature response. . .

He shrugged. “I mean nothing happened last night. If you want proof, look. You’re fully clothed, for one. For two, I’m not bragging, but I’d like to think you’d know something happened. . . . I swear, I -and we- didn’t do anything.” He responded gesturing first to her, then shrugged. 

The heat in her ears increased at the suggestion, taking the embarrassment as an opportunity to look down and check herself. She was indeed dressed in everything she wore the night before, at least as far as she could remember.

And he did have a good point about _knowing_. No matter how much the thought made her blush. She felt, other than a little hungry and hungover, pretty normal.

She looked back up, catching a small smirk in the corner of his mouth. Abruptly, she didn’t feel so impressed. “Why not?” Judy blurted out, an angry tone appearing in her voice without warning. For some reason, she could feel a heat building in her again. . . _Shit._

“Well, you were drunk. And, taking advantage of that would fall in the parameters of sexual assault, so that was not an option. I may be a scoundrel, but I am a gentleman scoundrel.”

She crossed her arms, looking away from the fox. “Oh.” She murmured, surprisingly disappointed. Why was she disappointed? After all, wasn’t that what she wanted? There was no reason they couldn’t be friends, right? “So, you’re saying nothing happened. As in, absolutely nothing?”

The fox nodded. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Then, why am I in your room? Why was I in your bed? What happened after I. . .” She paused, as her mind went back to that moment. How it made her feel, to grab a hold of that predator and pull herself to him. “After I kissed you?” She asked, a voice crack betraying her thoughts as she looked at the fox. All the signs said that nothing happened. But she still didn’t understand how she ended up snuggled against him, in his bed. 

The fox rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from the rabbit. “Well, that’s kind of an embarrassing, and cringy story for all of us. Are you sure you want me to tell you? It’s really nothing, and pretty dumb.” Nick shrugged, looking down at his crossed hind-paws.

She sighed and nodded in response. Whatever happened, she was probably better off knowing.

The fox let out a pained sigh. “Alright. So, the last thing you remember is the kiss, right?” Judy nodded, which Nick mirrored. “Okay then. . . Well, . . .”

* * *

The rabbit was acting peculiar. He couldn’t contain the confused look on his face, as she stared up at him oddly, some din of pop music in the background barely audible to him. She was staring right back at him, intently. And for a moment, Nick wondered who the prey was here.

Maybe something was wrong. Did he somehow say something wrong? He was about to ask, when the rabbit suddenly stood on his knee, pushing off to wrap her paws around his neck. The startled vulpine didn’t have time for a single note of surprise, as the rabbit pressed her lips to his.

And, for a second there he thought his heart stopped. He’d thought about kissing her before, but this was far beyond what he’d imagined. As her paws locked around his neck, he found himself leaning forward into her. His paws instinctively rested on her shoulders, as the rabbit put all her weight into the kiss.

_No._

His paws tightened on her shoulders and gently pulled her off his muzzle. He panted, as he tried to catch his breath. The moment he could, he gasped out some form of response. “First off, I wanna thank you from the bottom of my mouth. . . Second. . . Are you okay, Carrots?”

The rabbit responded with an angry groan, relaxing her grip go of his neck as she stared into his eyes. “Of couurse I’m okay. . . Aaand, I want _you_ to take me home tonight, foxy.” The rabbit slurred, as she leaned forward in an attempt to bump their noses together. But the fox craned his neck back, barely avoiding the drunken attempt.

With a quick glance, Nick looked from her to the empty beer bottles sitting on his hood and made a snap decision. Yes, she was more than beautiful, and would probably be quite a fun time. And he enjoyed the kiss. But Bogo taught him a long time ago about the thin line between drunken consent and sexual assault.

Especially considering Nick had no way of knowing how much she’d drank on her own. He’d lost track of her earlier in the evening and had not been paying much attention in the first place. He really didn’t think it would matter then. “I really don’t think that is a good idea, Carrots.”

“Why not? I’m cute. You’rrrre handsome. And I’m in heeat, so. . .” She responded, as if somehow those lone variables meant that . . . Whatever _this_ was had to happen. Not that he didn’t like the idea. . . But that wasn’t the point. And if she was in heat, then taking advantage of her when she was drunk was even worse.

Clearly, she wasn’t thinking straight in this condition, and the only thing worse than acquiescing would be leaving her here, at the party. “I think you’re probably done for the night, Carrots.” He said, earning a pout.

Which immediately turned into a very devilish grin. Too devilish. “Only if you take me home?” The rabbit looked at him, her face claiming innocence while her eyes revealed far. . . Different intentions.

Nick sighed. While not exactly a good idea, it was probably advantageous to roll with it. “Alright. Let’s go then.” He responded with a slight smile.

He barely finished his sentence before the rabbit hopped down suddenly, grabbing his paw and pulling him along. The fox merely clomped along, barely able to keep up with her. Internally, he started to doubt this was a good plan. What the hell was he going to do when he got there?

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of time for him to think about it, as before long they’d burst through the front door, Nick barely able to close it as he was dragged up the stairs. When they finally reached the second-floor landing, the rabbit finally paused, and turned towards the fox.

“Yourssz, or mine?” She asked, attempting a coy look that absolutely failed. At this point, there was no disguising her intentions; not that she ever really tried so far.

Well, there was no sense in not using the game. “Yours. Mine’s a little small.” He responded, before the rabbit suddenly finger-gunned him with a wink.

“Gooood point. C’mon, Toddy. I wanna see what’s under those boxers.” She said as she grabbed hold of is paw again and pulled him down the hall into her room. How did she know he wore boxers? Or was it just a random guess? Probably random.

They’d barely cleared the threshold before the rabbit turned on him again, leaping and planting another kiss on his muzzle before he could protest, as her hind paws wrapped around his waist. As his mind was again hit by the amazing energy, he couldn’t help but cock his head sideways. 

But, despite the feel of her tongue on his teeth, he kept his maw closed tightly. _You’re really something, Carrots_. He mused, as he grabbed hold of her knees, attempting to avoid both dropping her and touching anything. . . risky.

He carried her over to the bed, setting her down gently. As if by luck, the rabbit decided to unwrap her legs, and pull out of the kiss that was going to end him. Taking the opportunity, he leaned a little away from her, holding both of her paws in a futile hope of preventing another attack.

“Look, Judy, I don’t th-“ The fox began, before she leaned forward, and kissed him. Again, he felt his resistance failing him, as she placed her paws on his chest and turned her head, deepening the kiss.

He found himself leaning into it, his paws trailing up her arms as he closed his eyes. _Why can’t I? It’s consent, isn’t it? She’s being very explicit. She’s initiating everything. I could just sit back and let it happen, it wouldn’t matter._ As those thoughts crossed, his jaw eased, and his tongue snaked out to touch hers.

No. He affirmed his will, as he pulled himself out of the kiss regretfully. His eyes opened to a pouting rabbit. Her paws came up, gently grabbing his elbows. “What’s wrrrong?” She asked, as if somehow everything that had happened was normal. But it was not. She’d never showed interest in him before, was clearly some level of drunk, and as she said earlier, was in heat as well.

But he had to think fast, because truth wouldn’t work. “I just, um. . . I need to go to my room to. . . get protection! Yeah. I’m not sure how any of this works, but, if you’re in heat, I can’t be too careful. The last thing anyone needs is pregnancy, or sti’s or something.” He responded with a smile. He was almost certain that it wasn’t possible for them to have children, but, he wouldn’t risk it.

“Mmmm, I don’t think I’d miiind.” The rabbit blurted out, a stupid grin on her face, which mildly horrified the fox.

Nick stared back, mouth ajar. _Fix the plan, fix the plan!_ “Um. . . I appreciate the enthusiasm, buut. . . should probably put that off for a bit?” He responded carefully. He really started to hope that the amount of alcohol she drank would make her forget all of this in the morning. Or, how much he assumed she drank.

The rabbit, in response, shrugged. “Whateeever. Just get your furry ass back here. I’m going to enjoy those pred teeth ripping ma clothes off. . .” The rabbit flirted, with a very clumsy wink. Maybe she’d fall asleep soon. . .

Nick’s ears had been burning the entire time, but he doubted they could get much worse now. “Yeah, uh, sure, I’ll be right back.” He answered, quickly turning from the bed and walking toward the door, trying to resist her magnetism.

Every bone in his body said it was a bad idea. Except _one_ bone. But that was not the point. As he entered the hall, he closed her door behind him, and leapt through the open escape of his own. Slamming the door, he deftly locked it just before he heard her’s be thrown open.

He heard two angry thumps, before suddenly there was a loud and angry knock on his door. “Tri-, Trai-, Tratatori-. . . Lyyying fox! Let me iiiin, now!”

Now what? Well, with a door between, the truth couldn’t hurt. “Look, this is a little too quick for me. You’re drunk, you’re horny, and I am not okay with taking advantage of you right now. Just, go to sleep, and we’ll talk about it in the morning, okay?”

“Ssso don’t take ad-. . advantag! Just _tak_ me!” She responded, clearly proving that her critical thinking pathways were not firing. Nick decided it was best not to respond. Probably. He was safe anyway, so long as he didn’t unlock the door.

She continued banging on the door. And banging. And banging, for what seemed like fifteen minutes. Every few hits, she’d yell “Niiiiccckkk.” As if the loud call would somehow make him open the door.

Well, he’d had enough of trying to sleep, and he’d really had enough of the noise. Luckily, no one else was home yet. “Alright, Judy, let’s do some conflict management here, okay?!” He called out, crawling out of his bed and walking to the door. 

Unfortunately, he’d also given some thought to the scenario. If he didn’t let her in, she might go off and sleep with someone else. Which is her prerogative, but also, she might regret it a lot in the morning.

The nocking stopped. “You’ll let me in?” She asked, the coy tone clear in her voice. She never would give up, would she?

He sighed. “On a few conditions. Clothes on, hands off, no sex, no kissing, or any of that other shit. . . Tonight. If you want, we can talk about it in the morning. Just, not tonight.”

The rabbit went silent, and Nick was sure she was plotting behind the door. Probably nothing good. Finally, after a few concerning moments, she responded. “Why does that benefit me, any more than this door?”

He had to think fast. She might be drunk, but the question proved she was not a foolish drunk. “Well, for one, I could just say no, interminably. You could pound on the door till you exhausted yourself, and you still wouldn’t get what you want. Second. . . I will guarantee if you still want me in the morning, I’ll do whatever you want me to. . . Within reason, anyway.” It was the best offer he could come up with, but he was really banking on a more sober Judy to be there in the morning.

She let out a loud ‘hmm’, as he heard her foot thumping on the floor as she considered the option. For a moment, the fox began thinking of a backup plan. “Okay. . . I’m a little tired from th’ bangin’ and screamin’. . . But don’t think you’re getting out of this in the morning.”

Yeah, he was starting to doubt the veracity of his plan. . . But, then again, if she was sober in the morning, and still wanted him. . . . What was the harm? An issue to deal with later, he supposed. He reached out, and unlocked the door carefully, as if that would somehow prevent something.

But, as the door swung open, he looked down on an exhausted rabbit. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. Triangular ears alert, he just stared down at the sleepy, cute rabbit, and as heat spread to his ears, he wondered why he was fighting this again.

Then the rabbit yawned, and the distinct alcohol smell wafted to his nose. _Oh, yeah, that’s why_. “Okay. Um, if you want the bed, you can take it, and I’ll sleep on the floor.” He murmured and would have continued if it wasn’t for the glare that appeared.

“Nope. You’re in there with me or forget it.” She responded, as a grin formed. “Now the door is open, so . . .”

_Damn_. “Okay. . .” He murmured, as the heavy weight of exhaustion began to creep into his mind. He was done arguing at this point and turned around and crawled into his bed. He shuffled into the corner of the wall, facing the white slab as he tried to take up as little room as he could on the tiny mattress.

“I’ll just stay on my side, that’s f-ah!” He gasped as she wrapped her paws around his chest, pulling her small body tight against his back.

She let out a laugh at the sound, clearly amused Her paws were busy massaging his chest, causing a strange, high pitched sound to escape his throat, for a second. “Take whatever side you want, Imma be right here, fox.” 

“That’s n-“

“Deal with it.” The rabbit murmured, as her paws began to travel down his chest. And his waist.

Immediately, he seized her paws with his own, wrapping his digits around her tiny paws. “Ah, I don’t think so, Carrots.”

She sighed. “Fine. . . . I’ll _see_ you in the morning.” She let out with an evil chuckle.

Something told him he wasn’t getting any sleep. . .

* * *

Judy stared blankly at the fox while he told his story, as some of the events he mentioned defogged her mind. But, some parts did not, and seemed rather incredulous. “I . . . I wasn’t really that bad, was I?” She asked, internally horrified by her behaviour.

The fox shrugged. “Yeah, maybe not. I might be remembering a few things wrong; you weren’t the only one who’d been drinking. But that is the gist of what happened. You came on to me, you wouldn’t leave me alone so, you slept in my bed.”

She rubbed her forehead with her paw, groaning. “And that’s it, right? Nothing else happened?” The rabbit doubted she could handle much else.

“You made a few more attempts to grope me during the night, but at that point you were snoring. . . so maybe reflex?”

The groan deepened, as she smoothed her blushing ears against her back. As if, somehow, the fox might not already know how embarrassed she was. “I’m. . . Sorry. . . I apologize about how I, well, targeted you for this. And, I really, really apologize for what I did. . . Especially that.”

The fox shrugged. “Like you said, you were in heat, and quite drunk; it’s not your fault. . . And hey, it’s probably better that you did pick me; I didn’t act on it.”

She half-smiled at the fox, as she took a seat next to him on the bed. With a respectable twelve inches between them, of course. Maybe closer to sixteen. “Yeah, thanks for that. . . If it was one of Rhett’s friends. . . Ugh.” He body shook in disgust at the thought. That Michael would be unbearable. . .

“So, how does it work?”

The vulpine asked, causing Judy to quizzically look up. “How does. . . _what_ work?” Was he asking about why she picked him? Or, why he was so horny for him, if it was a fox thing? Or how she intended to fuck him, seeing as how he was a fox?

She hadn’t thought much about out the last one, but just mentioning it- “Sorry. How does your ‘heat’ work?” He asked, acting as if somehow that wasn’t a strange question.

It was pretty much common knowledge in rabbitdom that bucks didn’t ask questions about how women’s ‘stuff’ worked. It was practically an unwritten taboo to even talk about it, let alone flat out ask for details. They just wanted to know when it would benefit them or hinder them. It was to the point where the females had worked out an entire system of euphemisms to avoid inadvertently ‘mentioning’ it.

The fox, unsurprisingly, noticed her reaction. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too personal or anything. . . And, I wasn’t asking for any deep details or anything descriptive. Just, I know how we work, and some canines, but, not lagomorphs. . . . I’ll just drop it, never mind.”

“No!” She stopped his detraction. It was extremely weird, and a little unsettling to talk about with a friend, let alone a different species. But she couldn’t fault him for asking. . . She did basically try to rape him because of it. “I mean, it’s just a surprise. Bucks don’t really. . . wanna talk about it. Or know about it. At all. . . It’s pretty taboo.”

Nick snorted. “For foxes, we’re all taught. It’s practically an unwritten code. And, it makes sense, to us. The less we understand about how each other works, the harder it gets to get along. . . But again, don’t feel obligated to explain anything, that’s just fox stuff. I was just honestly curious, it’s not a big deal.”

She let out a short laugh, that was almost a groan. “Well, since you’re the first mammal to ever ask me. . . I feel _mildly_ obligated to share. _Provided_ , you tell me how it works for foxes, first.” A fox’s heat cycle was not a topic of discussion in the Hopps household, or Bunnyburrow. If foxes were mentioned at all, it was to villainize and demonize the species.

And frankly, she was mildly curious at this point. Nick shrugged. “Well, that’s pretty fair. I mean, we’re not very complicated. Vixens, if they aren’t on a pill to stop it, go into heat in the winter and early spring, and it lasts a month, maybe a little more. Males get hit with the hormones a little earlier. . . We don’t get a pill, but, eh. Male’s symptoms are being a little more aggressive, a little randy, and that’s pretty much it. Females, they get. . . well, horny if they aren’t on medication, and aggressive as well. I can’t comment on a personal level on what that is like. . . But yeah, it generally commences at the end of the year, that’s why our and most canid’s ‘Love day’ is December 31st. . . . What’s different than most is the females generally approach the males, although it happens the other way as well. Lots of chocolates and flowers floating around on that day, but yeah. . . I don’t really think there’s much more to it than that? We’re pretty simple.”

Judy snorted as the fox finished. “Yeah, that’s almost too basic to believe. At least, from a rabbit perspective. Your females are lucky. We’re. . . Not that lucky. Our ‘cycles’ regularly last about nine months, or more.”

The fox’s eyebrows shot up, causing Judy to nod. “Yeah. When it happens really depends on what kind of environment you grew up in. For me, it’s from August till April. . . School time” She said with a grimace, turning her gaze to her knees. Her ears were busy burning in embarrassment, when the fox spoke again.

“That’s. . . A long time. I can see why it’s an upsetting thing to go through, especially in college.”

Judy let out a ‘ha’, as her paws began to idly play with the bedcover. “It gets worse. Throughout the whole thing, we go through periods of extreme. . . urges basically, that last anywhere between seven days to twenty. They get worse as the days goes on, with the last day in a period the worst. Between the periods, we get maybe a break of ‘light’ urges for about five to seven days. It’s basically a random crapshoot from hell. And. . .” She paused, shaking her head lightly.

The fox, to his credit, just sat there in silence with his ears flipped forward.

“And, when all this _stuff_ is going on, it’s pretty much all we can think about. Every second thought, we’re obsessed with it. In my case, I can barely concentrate on school, let alone everything else. It’s frustrating when you’re trying to think about how to do a quiz or write a paper, and all you can think about is. . . . .” She sighed, shaking her head. “Getting _Fucked_. . . . By something. Anything. My first ‘extreme urges’ cycle must’ve hit its end last night, and between that and the beer. . . I went after you.”

“Mhm.” The fox added, nodding slowly as he looked away. “And, the pills you mentioned, they’re the only way out of it?” 

Judy nodded. “Yeah, they’re the best way out of it, for me. I can alleviate some of it with a few. . . Toys, which,” She raised a finger. “Don’t ask. We’re not going to talk about those. . . understood?” 

The fox nodded. “But, it’s not a perfect solution. There’s something about being. . . _close_. . . with a ‘partner’ when doing things, that satisfies some part of our biology. So, that’s the only other option. Getting laid. It’ll slow or stop the cycle for a few days, basically while the body figures out if it’s pregnant or not. Which, given the success rates of rabbits, is usually, and not an option for me.”

The nodding fox looked back at her. “Shit choices. Especially when your brother and mother are conspiring to throw rando’s at you.”

Judy sighed, and nodded. “Yeah. . . . Luckily, new pills are supposed to be here in two weeks. But, there’s a whole lot of class, projects, quizzes, papers and. . . Annoying brother shit. I might get a few days off now, but that means I must endure an _entire week_ afterward without relief. I barely made this one, and that’s just cause of you.”

Nick nodded. “Yeah. . . I can see it won’t be easy for you. . . And, thank you for telling me, too. It makes last night seem. . . Less awkward? Or weird? Somewhat? I mean, at least I understand a little bit now.”

“Still awkward as fuck.”

“Very awkward.” Nick agreed, shaking his head. For a minute or two, they sat together on the bed in silence. Judy started to feel a little weird, unsure of what she was going to say next. How could she continue the conversation? 

That was a heavy confession and discussion, and, any more awkwardness and she wouldn’t be able to handle it. At least she was enjoying the downside of the urges. Otherwise, she needed to start thinking about getting out of there.

“Well, you know, there _is_ another option.”

Judy’s head jerked up, as she turned to look at the fox. “What option?”

He shrugged. “To beat it, you said you need a ‘partner’ with you. You don’t want a relationship, feelings, pregnancy, or failed classes. A tough order with any of the bucks that are being sent your way, so there’s not much option there. . . . So, how about a kind of. . .” The fox paused, lifting his paws to make an air quote gesture. “‘Friends with benefits’ arrangement, with me?”

Judy stared at the fox, unsure if he was serious or not. The humourless gaze suggested he definitely was. A friend’s with benefits thing? With _him_? “W-what?” What was the fox suggesting? That they. . . Fuck? At the suggestion, images flashed in her brain, her ears going a deep red as she felt her body heat rise. They couldn’t. Could they? She remembered wanting to try last night, but that was just the heat, right?

“No relationship, no long-term feelings, just a little ‘help’. Until your pills come in, I could. . . Well, basically, do whatever you wanted me to do. . . Oral, fingering, playing with your toys, whatever. . . _Only_ what you want, nothing else. I know my bounds.” Nick responded,

The rabbit gaped at the fox, here eyes wide in both surprise and mild horror at the thought. _I mean, it’s not a bad thought. He’s right, and he really seems to want to help you, right? It might be your best chance. And last night. . . You definitely wanted him then._

_But why would he want this?_ They were friends, but this was a little bit further of a favour than normal friendship. “Why would you want to. . . do that? What’s in it for you?” She asked, trying to make it seem like she was not still reeling.

The fox tilted his head, glancing sideways towards the rabbit. “Well, you’re my friend. And, you’ve worked way harder than me to get here. It’d be a shame to see it hampered by biology, and your mother. Let alone seeing you taken advantage of by any of those annoying bucks your mom and brother keep sending your way would be infuriating, and I’d hate myself.”

Nick paused, letting out a sigh. The rabbit continued watching the fox’s face with concern, violet eyes narrowing. “And. . . As for what’s in it for me. . . Well, nothing, really. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t find you physically attractive. I don’t think any mammal, live or dead, could say otherwise. And a little reciprocity from you would be delightful, but, not necessary.I- I don’t need anything . . As far as I’m concerned, I’ll just be helping you out of a tight spot.”

The rabbit’s eyes narrowed at the pun. “ _Funny._ ” Of course, the fox would find a way to have a dirty pun in a serious conversation about this. Practically disgusting. But, knowing he found her attractive made her ears blush even harder, as she felt the ‘uncomfortableness’ grow within her. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as bad as even a few days ago.

The fox turned towards her, a curious look appearing. His eyes widened, clearly noting when the light bulb came on. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean what I said like . . . that. I wasn’t trying to make a pun, I just meant. . . to help. . . . Sorry.”

“Right.” She said, in mild disbelief, looking away and staring at the ground again. Judy had to admit that the offer was. . . A compelling one. And he did say he only wanted to help. The thought of giving him. . . reciprocity. . . raised her curiosity, that was for sure. It wouldn’t hurt her schooling, and, it would make ensure her parent’s pill swipe was a wasted measure.

But still, with Nick? She couldn’t. It was too. . . much. Too sudden. And just too weird. She needed to shut this down, before other parts of her brain convinced her otherwise. “Um. . . Thanks, for the offer. . . . But I can get through this myself. I need to. I don’t want to involve you in. . . my personal problems. . . It’s nothing against you or anything. It’d just be a little too. . . weird, from a friend perspective. . .” Internally, she started regretting everything. The realization that it was going to be far more awkward after declining started to set in.

The fox nodded, looking away. “It was just a thought. . .” He shrugged, as he hopped onto the ground, stretching and yawning. “Well then, you’ll probably want to sneak over to your room before anyone else wakes up, and I’d better get changed. . . . We’ll just pretend last night didn’t happen, and hope no one saw us leave together.” Nick mumbled, walking over to his dresser.

_Well, that was quick_ , she thought angrily. Judy thought he’d be a little more upset being shot down like that. Maybe he did just mean it in a platonic form? She couldn’t really change her mind now, it was more than embarrassing. . . And, he was more than right about getting out of there.

If Sharla caught her leaving Nick’s room, she’d never hear the end of it. “Yeah. . . you’re right. . . Um, thanks. . . Again, for last night. . . You’re a good friend. . .” The fox grunted in response, digging through his open closet. “I guess I’ll talk to you later?” She murmured, as she leapt to the floor. The fox nodded in response, and she headed for the door.

As she turned the knob, Nick spoke again. “If you change your mind. . . If you ever need a little. . . _help_. . . The offer’s still open.”

Judy didn’t dare turn around as she tightly tucked her blushing ears against her neck. That wasn’t an option. Especially after turning him down the first time, the fox would be way too smug about it. . . Besides, so long as she never brought it up, she could just pretend that the last twenty-four hours didn’t happen, right?

* * *

Four days had passed. _Four fucking days_. And he hadn’t said a word about it. Not in class, the gym, at home, not even when they were alone.

Hell, he was acting like it didn’t happen at all. He was the same fox that he was before the party, jerk attitude and all. Some parts of her mind thought that was a good thing, but frankly, she was just pissed about it. How could a mammal make that kind of offer and not act even the slightest bit different afterward?

It was practically rude. Worst still, not talking about it with him left her brain thinking over it alone. Even during the down period, she couldn’t deny she felt the effects of the heat, not only towards Nick, but out of pure desperation. Especially knowing that her last peak had gone unrequited. . . It was basically unfinished business.

Rhett, who’d brought some more friends over, was quick to pick up on her weakness, pheromones giving it away. And, unfortunately, the bucks he brought were also quick to pick up on it. Nick did his best, but he wasn’t always there.

Unfortunately, that one buck from the first party, the one who seemed like a nice guy, also made a point to sit down and talk with her. Blair, she was pretty sure that was his name now. Again, he didn’t act pompous or overbearing, luckily. In fact, he was fairly sweet about all of it, and understanding. He even shooed some of the ruder bucks away.

He was nice, and she couldn’t deny the fact that she couldn’t resist _thinking_ about his interest when he was there. But he was clearly interested in a long-term relationship. And, quite frankly, at least he took the turndown both quicker and easier than the other males. Once again, he just changed the subject to idle conversation, before leaving a short time after. 

But that moment was a little too close for comfort for her. Considering that her brother had picked up on her ‘issue’, she doubted she’d get any rest for the next two weeks.

And Nick, he was just being a real asshole by pretending nothing happened. He didn’t even stop the ‘playful’ flirts he’d done before; The fox was doing them at the same frequency, with the same stupid grin. It was as if his memory had been wiped, or some other sci-fi baloney. 

The one thankful break was Sharla, who did not catch her sneaking back across the hall. She also didn’t see them leave together. At least she was pretty sure. That sheep would never be able to shut up about it if she did, so definitely not. And Chrys. . . Well, he was Chrys. He never saw anything, and never noticed the things he did see.

Sitting on the floor of her room, legs crossed and paws resting on her knees, she took in another deep breath. Eyes tightly shut, she tried to blank her mind as she exhaled. A second later, her chest rose as she took in another breath.

Meditation. The best option she’d found after a mad-dash scramble on the internet for homebrew solutions. It didn’t promise miracles, but by this point she’d given up on ‘perfect’ options. Between this and her toys, maybe she would be okay. With her next exhale, the 11pm alarm on her phone buzzed, capping off the half-hour exercise.

As she opened her eyes, and stared out at the black night’s sky, she had to give meditation some credit. It did not abate her symptoms in the slightest, but the relaxation techniques went a far way in allowing her to think out her situation.

Probably not the best, considering that she was supposed to ‘clear her mind’ during it. But, in the end, it gave her some results. After all, she knew exactly what she had to do.

The rabbit abruptly stood, not bothering to roll up her exercise mat as she walked to the door, swung it open, and crossed the brief hall.

_Knock, knock, knock_. Her paws rapped against the door. From inside, she heard movement as the occupant shuffled around, and thumped toward the door. Her heart began to race, as she suddenly got very nervous.

The ancient adage of predators smelling your fear did nothing to calm her, as her breathing quickened. She closed her eyes and tried using some meditation techniques to wrestle control back. But, a second later she heard the door latch click, and the metallic sound of the bolt sliding.

She opened her eyes just as the door hinges began to creak, immediately locking her gaze on the widening crack, until they moved onto to the dark shape in the now-open threshold. 

The moonlight trailing through the opposing window sharply silhouetted the fox. He was rubbing his eyes, the reflective glow flickering with every blink. Clearly, he’d been attempting to sleep when she knocked, making her feel a little apologetic. But only a little.

_Shit. What was the plan_? Judging from the luminous diamond slits for eyes, Nick had to be fully aware of who was before him. And, quite frankly, he’d have to be an imbecile to not know why she was there. She was too mentally exhausted to beat around the bush anyway.

“ _Deal_. . . .On one condition.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's another cliffhanger, and I'm somewhat sorry for that. But, I promise I won't do it to you again. . . soon, anyway.
> 
> As I stated above, I don't know when the next chapter will be released. I am hoping to have it done in two weeks, but college is now replaced with volunteering, part-time jobs, and online courses, so, shit isn't stopping on this end. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for continuing to read my work, it really means a lot!


	7. Carrots and Blueberries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, I finished this chapter, which started out short and ended up unbelievably long. And, broke my standard chapter name/perspective fixing. BUT, it was necessary. And now, it's finally done, on the same day that both Disney Animation and Jared Bush have posted hinting and suggestive comments on social media. . . A sequel may be coming, yay.
> 
> Dangerously close to smut, but, I'm sure you can fill in the blanks with your own fantasies.
> 
> But yeah, Nick, Judy, Zootopia and its ideals, it all belongs to Disney. Chrys is mine, as is. . . . Well, you'll find out about her later. . . 

The fox blinked slowly, as his vision focused on the figure who’d so rudely interrupted his slumber. Well, partial slumber, anyway, but he’d been getting so close. . . He was about ready to give whoever it was a nice growl and a piece of his mind, until his eyes finally adjusted to the light.

Standing, rather sternly, was the rabbit. Specifically, the rabbit, dressed in a frumpy black T-shirt and a ‘comfortable’ pair of grey yoga pants. Her black-tipped ears were up and alert, purple eyes slightly narrowing as they crawled up his body to meet his own gaze.

Was this another dream? No, no it couldn’t be. . . But, why was she here, then? Looking all angry and upset? She couldn’t be mad about what happened a few days ago, could she? Nick had done his best to just pretend it hadn’t happened, wasn’t that what she wanted? What, was she here to yell at him for it, or somehow complain about something he was doing?

No, Judy was better than that. . . Maybe she had a concern, or, something? Or maybe she was working on homework, and needed a little help or someone to bounce information off? Nick returned her stare in silence, his mouth slightly ajar. The silence was starting to get a little awkward, but he wasn’t sure what to say to a rabbit that randomly showed up on doorsteps.

But he needn’t have bothered being concerned, as Judy had something important to say.

“ _Deal_. On one condition.” She let out sternly, as her paws rested on her hips. The fox’s brow furrowed. _What dea- Oooooh. . . ._ His eyes broadened in surprise as reality finally dawned. She was here, for. . . The whole friends with benefits thing, wasn’t she?

Wait, he needed to play this cool. Didn’t need her to feel embarrassed or anything. Or, embarrass himself, either. But, not too awkwardly cool. Then it would just be. . . Cringe. But how was he going to do that?

Thinking quickly, he lifted an arm and leaned on the open door, trying to strike a more relaxed pose. “Oh? What condit-“

He was interrupted when the door continued its swing inward, leaving the fox imbalanced as he tilted, fumbled, and tried not to fall. His other paw shot out, grabbing the frame and steadying himself against it. “Um,” The embarrassed fox murmured, as he turned his head to look back at a grinning rabbit. Clearly, she thought that was funny. . . Okay maybe it was funny.

He bolted back upright, brushing his chest in a maligned attempt to ‘repair’ his cool. Not likely possible now. Looking up and away for a moment before turning back to the rabbit. “So, what condition, slash conditions?”

The rabbit sighed, as her arms left her hips to cross across her chest. “Just the one: You do what I want, when I want, and nothing more than that. If I say you can, you can, if I don’t, you don’t. Simple?” Carrots spoke sternly, making it clear that he’d have to agree or forget the whole thing. Although, he almost wondered about the veracity of that statement: She was the one who came over here, this late at night?

“Agreed, but, I’m pretty sure I said the same thing when I proposed this. . . I still swear, on my mother’s life, to do as you command.” He responded, slightly amused as he held up one paw and crossed his chest with the other.

The rabbit immediately walked forward, nearly pushing him aside. “Good.” She murmured as she entered the room and looked around the room silently. This was still pretty strange, so Nick quickly sniffed the air, seeing if he could pick up any strange smells emanating from the rabbit. Particularly alcohol.

* * *

The fox’s nose was not nearly as ‘silent’ as he was probably going for. . . at least, not to a rabbit’s ears.

“No, I haven’t been drinking. . . I’ve been thinking.” She responded to the loud snoofs, turning to face him again. “And. . . Well, you were right. This plan sucks, this heat sucks, it all sucks, but there are a lot worse things that could happen than this.”

The fox rolled his eyes, with a light sigh. “Not much of a confidence booster there, but I get it.” He murmured with a shrug, causing Judy to shake her head.

“You know that’s not what I meant. . . If you turn all sour on me over that, I’ll be _very_ disappointed.” She responded, the final note coming out a little more flirtatious than she intended. Or, maybe she did intend it? Eh, it didn’t really matter at this point. 

“I had a few close calls with bucks over the last few days, and, everything I’ve tried to help me has come up with bupkiss. . . It’s not even as bad as the other night yet, and I can’t guarantee that you’ll always be there to talk me off that ledge. Nor should you have to. . . And I’ve got at least a week to go until the pills are in, and that’s just going to be terrible-miserable-terrible.” She finished with a sigh.

“Mhm.” The fox nodded along. “It all makes logical sense- Or, at least in that strange way where it doesn’t actually make any sense at all. . . Well, you know what I mean.” He spoke, nodded and closed the door, turning the small knob-lock shut. Judy narrowed her eyes at him, slightly unsure of why he felt the need to lock the door.

But, Nick seemed to read her mind as he lifted his paws up in a reassuring gesture. “Just cause, you know, Chrys. Barging into another male’s bedroom is generally considered normal, especially to him.”

Judy immediately grimaced. That would be the death of her, especially since she knew Sharla would show up, too. And she would tell their friends at home. And they would tell their friends, parents would find out, and she’d get an angry call about causing the death of her grandfather.

Among other complaints, of course. “Fair enough.” She sighed, as the fox walked slowly toward her. Suddenly, her heartbeat jumped, as the crimson shape closed the gap between them. In the moonlight, she wasn’t sure if his expression was calm, or calculating.

Both were concerning. Judy took a step back, causing the fox to halt. “So, um. . . I thought we’d start small. . . I mean, for the whole night. I don’t think. . . . Um, going all the way is a good plan. I mean, even if it was physically possible, it’s only a week, and. . . Well, it’s going to be. . .” She paused in her thoughts, as she looked up and down at the approaching fox again. 

Only then did she realize that he was basically naked, except those same baggy blue boxers from before. _Gods, I really hope he has more than one pair of underwear_. She thought, as she looked curiously at the rumples in the fabric, her curiosity showing a little too much. Wait, what am I doing? Where was she? _Oh yeah _. “Gawk. . . ward enough as it is, doing this.”__

The fox nodded. “I’ll only do what you want me to; remember, I swore.” He responded, as he stepped a bit closer to her, stopping a about a foot away. “So. . . You don’t want to go ‘all the way’ and I agree with that. Therefore, what do you want to do tonight?”

“I-I don’t know. . .” She murmured as she looked down, thinking briskly as she tried to decide what was the best plan. Unfortunately, Judy didn’t give that much thought when she was meditating. Finger play? No, that was more of a foreplay thing, and probably wouldn’t cut it for long. And she didn’t exactly thing about bringing her toys along. . . Obviously, as much as her body didn’t like it, there weren’t a lot of options available to her. Then, she remembered something special about canines. “. . Um, how about oral?” She muttered, not daring to look up at his probably smug face.

Unfortunately, the embarrassment still happened via audio, as he let out a satisfied snort. “Well, I won’t say no to the opportunity, if that’s what you’re asking. . . But I just want to reiterate, if you ever want me to stop, do something, or not do something, just say so. . . And, I don’t know, let’s go with ‘Noodles’ as a safe word, okay?” He muttered with a shrug.

She nodded. That was fair enough, and an unlikely word to come up otherwise. She looked back up at him, her ears blushing mad. The fox was still smiling down at her, almost too pleased.

And then, he licked his chops. Slowly. Deliberately, and intentionally making sure she watched his pink tongue run along his jowls.

He was an asshole. “So then, are there other things I can do?” He asked, paws clasped together and resting on his waist. His smile had turned light, and unthreatening, for once. But she wasn’t sure what he wanted her to say. That was, hopefully, all that she needed to get through today and the next few days. . . She shrugged in response, not sure what he was looking for.

“Okay, let’s just start really small then with a few questions, Judy. Can I kiss you?” He asked softly, that innocent smile still holding on. The question caught Judy off guard, her eyes narrowing at the fox. Was he seriously asking that simple of a request? Obviously, the answer had to be yes. If they didn’t kiss at least at some point during the whole exchange, it would be weird. Right? 

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Well, yes, of cour-“ Judy didn’t get the chance to finish, as he bobbed his neck forward and pressed his lips softly against hers. 

The surprise she felt quickly melted to pleasure, as she leaned into the kiss. She opened her mouth; her tongue was almost immediately met with the larger fox-tongue. And for a moment, the delicate kiss deepened to something more.

But then, the fox pulled away, despite the rabbit’s best attempt to follow him up. Her eyes opened, as she glared in anger at the fox. Nick was busy smiling at her, licking his lips quickly before he spoke again. “Can I touch you – Gently – all over or restricted?” He asked again softly, as Judy quickly tuned into what he was doing. 

She reached up, grabbing two pawfuls of chestfur as she pulled him down to her. “Yes, gently, all over.” The rabbit whispered, before kissing the fox again. As the kiss continued, she felt his paws rest on her waist, as the fox knelt and gently coaxed her closer.

For a moment, she couldn’t believe how great this felt. . . Was this how it felt that night? If so, she couldn’t blame her drunk self for wanting him; he was a good kisser. Not that she spent a lot of time kissing mammals before, she painfully reminded herself.

After a few moments, the fox used his gentle grip on her body to pull her away from him again. This time, she didn’t resist, knowing how the game was played. If he wanted to play, she wouldn’t stop him so long as she got what she wanted.

As their kiss broke, she felt him suck in a deep breath, her eyes opening as she smiled at the fox. Clearly, he wasn’t too happy with breaking the kiss, either. “Can I pick you up, and put you on the bed?” He asked again, Judy nodding encouragingly.

As expected, his head darted forward as he kissed her again, her arms quickly gripping his neck. It was a good thing, too, as he used his kneel to hoist her lightly off the ground, her grip helping maintain the deep kiss as he moved her onto the bed slowly.

Likely by nefarious fox-plan, he put her down with her head on a pillow, maintaining the kiss as he crawled onto the mattress. For a moment, he held himself over her, and she settled into enjoying the kiss. The feelings it was causing were good, but she knew it would never be enough. Not for her.

As expected, he pulled away again, this time earning a huff from the rabbit. The game was cute – but there was a limit. “Can I take your clothes off – all, or restricted?” He asked, clearly unable to fight the twitching grin in the corner of his mouth. She frowned at the fox, although it was a very smirky frown.

“Well, your tongue’s going to have a hard job, otherwise. . . So, take whatever you want off.” She smiled, as he lowered his mouth to hers again. His paws, still on her hips, began to move as they slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, beginning to slowly lift the fabric up. Her paws gripped his chestfur again, as the fabric slid up to her armpits, stopping as he began to delicately manoeuvre them up her arms.

But this time, she pushed him up and off her mouth, her eyes opening to a surprised fox. She grinned, somewhat pleased with how concerned he looked, his paws somewhat trapped by her armpits in the black shirt.

“Hold on, Slick. I like this game and all, but let’s just get one thing straight here. If you’re going to ask for permission for _everything_ you’re about to do, you might as well stop there and end this.” She murmured, amusingly. She didn’t think it would happen that way, but she figured it was funny to say anyway.

He smiled down at her, chuckling to himself. “Fine, Judy. I’ll just ask once. Can I _lick_ you. . . . Multiple times? Like, a lot of times?”

Her face turned serious, looking away in a contemplative expression. As if she needed to think on it at all. “Mmmmm, on one condition. You can lick me, wherever you want, for as much as your want, _provided_ , you finish the job you start, hmmm? Maybe a few times?”

Nick’s puzzled look turned to a mischievous grin. “ _Deal_.”

* * *

_That fucking fox tongue_. She thought, through closed eyes as she tried to keep her legs from slightly trembling. She wasn’t sure what time it was, and at this point she wasn’t sure how many times he’d _succeeded_ , and she certainly didn’t care.

The fox slowly climbed over her again, dragging his wet nose up to her neck. He paused there for a moment, opening his mouth slightly to softly bite her, barely a nibble. “Ow.” She murmured, causing the fox to let out a laugh, and a brief “Sorry.” He had to be the weird Pred and start biting things, didn’t he?

He shifted to the side, and plopped down on the mattress beside her, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. “So. . . Was it. . . Satisfactory?” He asked softly, turning her with a grin.

It was her turn to laugh. “Ha. . . It was ‘satisfactory’. . . . Like, five, ten minutes in. . . _That_ , was awesome. . .” She murmured, returning the fox’s gaze.

He smiled slightly wider, before looking back at the roof. “Well, that’s good for the ego. Does that mean I rank pretty highly for a partner, or just at the top of the heap?”

Her ears blushed a little, as she looked ahead at the plain white ceiling. “Well. . . . If we don’t count my toys. . . . Then you’re only competing against some bad teenage oral sex, so. . . Yeah, I’d say you’re at the top.”

He turned back to her, with a quizzical look. Clearly, he expected her to have a bit more of a past than that. Which, considering how she came onto him the first time, and now. . . Yeah, she couldn’t exactly blame him. And frankly, she regretted the one time in high school anyway. They really didn’t know what they were doing back then.

Then, the fox grinned at her. “How about if we do count your toys?”

She gave him a sidelong glance with a frown. Judy wasn’t surprised he’d ask that. . . His ego needed a little trimming. “Mmmmmmmm, I don’t know about that.” She mused, putting her hand on her chin. “It’s a hard call.”

His ears fell back, eyes narrowing. “Okay then, fine. The competition is on, then, Vibra-carrot, -or whatever- I’ll win that title if I have to die trying.” He declared, thrusting a single digit into the air defiantly as Judy laughed.

“Well, good luck. I win either way, I suppose.” She murmured, as her satisfied feelings began to be covered in exhaustion. _Wait_. She remembered something he’d mentioned the first time he offered, and she turned to face him. “So, um, do you want me to. . . . . Well, y’know. . . . _Reciprocate_?” She asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

“You mean ‘blow me’?” The fox blurted out, causing her ears to burn again. _Do you have to be so. . . well, I guess it’s a little late for ‘beating around the bush._ Between her exhaustion, and, well, not knowing what she was going to do exactly, she doubted any of this would turn out well. But instead, the fox suddenly sat up a little, and gazed across the room. Following his vision, Judy saw a clock sitting on top of the nearby nightstand. The small red face read 2:00 AM, and suddenly Judy realized how long she’d been there, and blushed heavily.

“I’m going to say not. . . We’ve got class at 8, with Dave, so. . . Probably not a good idea to stay up any longer. . . and I don’t really need any ‘benefits’ back from you, honestly, so, don’t feel obligated to do anything. . .” He began, Judy instantly shaking her head.

She raised a finger and wagged it at the fox. “Hey, if that’s the kind of service I’ll be getting, you deserve to be rewarded for your hard work. . . Besides, at this point, I’m starting to get a little curious about what’s under those ugly boxers. . . . . But, I agree, not tonight. . . I came here pretty late, and now I’m extra exhausted thanks to you.”

He shrugged, laying back down on the mattress. “Gee, I’m so sorry about that. I’ll do better next time. . . Well, we can think of this as the ‘demonstration model’, no ‘purchase’ necessary kind of thing. I expect that you’ll be using my services again?” He asked, taking on the worst salesmammal voice she’d ever heard.

“Mmmm, maybe on an open, free cancellation contract, sure.” She responded, as they both chuckled together.

After a few moments, Nick spoke up again. “So, do you think it. . . y’know, worked, on your heat? Will you be okay for a few days now?”

She shrugged. “Don’t know, I guess I’ll find out tomorrow. I mean, I feel really good now, so, it definitely affected it somewhat. I might be good for a day, maybe a few. . . Either way, no offence, but I think I’m going to get some sleep now, so. . . . Goodnight.” She murmured, as she rolled over into the fox, squirming her body into him.

He wouldn’t mind, right? She liked his warmth, and frankly, he made a good pillow. And since she was here anyway, she might as well use him. “Um. . . . do you want to sleep here, or. . . you know, go back to your room?” The fox asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

She frowned at him, pulling her head away. What, was she not allowed to stay the night? Pretty rude after what just happened. The fox picked up on her thoughts and raised a defensive paw. “I mean, I don’t have an issue if you want to stay. . . It just, might be harder to explain to our roommates if you emerge from my room in the morning. . . Unless you want them to know, which that’s up to you.”

Judy let out a groan. The fox had a good point, as she leaned up and rubbed her eyes. She still didn’t want to go but having Sharla ask a million questions when this was just a short, non-serious fling was a way worse option. She hated that he was right; she was looking forward to using him as a pillow again. “Fiiine, you’re right. . .”

As she shifted herself to the side of the bed. Looking around the floor, she saw her clothes sitting in a neat pile by the side of the bed. _Well, at least he didn’t throw them everywhere._ She thought, as she leaned forward and began picking them up.

As she gathered them on her lap, she internally laughed as she picked up her panties, which had obviously become a little stretched in their removal. But then, she did dare him to use his teeth. _Clearly, someone was a little ex-_ “Yiiiiah!” She exclaimed, as she felt a very wet, rough thing slide up her right buttocks. She jumped up, her clothes falling from her lap to the floor again. She covered her mouth with a paw, as if somehow trying to take back the loud shout. _Gods, I hope no one heard that._

Turning around, she saw the fox had slunk his body over to where she was sitting, his tongue still hanging out of his mouth. Unsurprisingly, there was a heavy grin on his muzzle as he looked her in the eye. He waggled his tongue, his chest clearly shaking as he stifled a laugh.

“Fucking bastard.” She said, as she bent down and gatherer her clothes up again. _Fucking fox bastard fox with his fucking fox tongue fucking licking fucking things._

He propped himself up with his arms, the smug grin sticking around. “Hey, you’re the one who said I could lick anywhere I wanted. . . And frankly, it’s not my fault your rear looks so damn good. . . Tastes good, too.”

Judy just flipped him off in response, grabbing the last of her clothes. “You’ll pay for that, somehow, someday.” She murmured, throwing on her shirt and slipping her pants back on. The panties. . . Well, no point with how mangled they were. She’d just take them back to her room and throw them away.

Nick laid down on his back, shrugging. “If you bring that attractive butt back soon, I’ll _pay_ you willingly.”

She blushed, as she silently resigned that he had a dirty comeback for everything she could say. “Well, maybe later, but for now, bye fox.” Judy murmured, walking to the door, opening it and stepping into the hall.

Before she closed it, she turned back and looked at the fox, his reflective eyes glimmering as he stared back. “. . . Thanks again. . . For. . . Well, you know.”

He nodded. “You’re welcome. Goodnight, Carrots.” He responded, rolling over and snuggling into his bed. Mere seconds later, he was rolled into a donut, his fluffy tail covering his face.

_Fucking adorable._ She closed the door, and slinked across the hall, slipping into her room. Hopefully, the few hours she had would be enough to be ready for the morning. Either way, it would be a lot better day tomorrow, not having to deal with her rising symptoms. Hopefully. She plopped into her bed, ready for the morning to come. 

And, dreaming of their next session.

 

Meanwhile, another pair of eyes continued gazing down the hall. Awoken by a shout, they saw the rabbit cross the hall with ruined panties in paw. _“Interesting.”_ The being murmured to itself, eyes narrowing as it slowly pieced together the information it had uncovered. _“Very interesting.”_

* * *

_Beep-beep-beep_

The black paw reached out and smashed the snooze button. Unravelling from donut-mode, the fox yawned as his hand deftly switched the alarm off, noting the glowing, mocking symbols of 4:30 AM. _Two fucking hours._ He thought to himself, as he stretched, slowly slinking out of bed. _How much coffee will I need to function today, or, is it even possible?_

Like an autonomous drone, he collected his clothes, ignored his headphones, and went downstairs to a shower. Before he entered, he flicked on the coffee maker in the hopes it would be enough to wake him enough. Then, he hurried into the washroom. 

As the hot water rolled over him, he thought about what had rendered his sleep so irrelevant. _Judy Hopps; the unpredictable bunny rabbit_.

She surprised him last night. He’d honestly never thought she’d take his ‘deal’, especially after the first refusal. It was stupid and mostly ridiculous, he thought. Yet also apparently a good option, considering how last night went. If it helped her, then it couldn’t be that bad, right?

The enjoyment he got out of it was just a bonus. And, so far, he’d gotten to tick off at least one of his recent fantasies. He chuckled, remember her scream when he’d licked her behind. He couldn’t help it, and honestly, he didn’t think she’d mind as much as she said.

_But, she really seemed to. . . Probably a good idea to apologize for that_. He grimaced. She’d probably laugh at him, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

He slipped out of the shower, dried himself off, and dressed himself as he walked to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. With a little sugar and some soy whitener, he downed the first cup as if it was not scalding hot. Then, he poured another, and didn’t bother with the frilly stuff as he sat at the kitchen table.

_She only needs help for a week, and who knows how long I’ve ‘helped’ her along so far_. He reminded himself, trying to stave off the other thoughts. As great as it would be to make this a permanent thing, he didn’t want to push her into continuing it.

Although, he had to admit, it would be a long, possibly awkward year after this was all over. . . But, better to deal with that when it came up. They could just be friends, they already proved it before.

About an hour or so of self-contemplation later, he heard the thumps as Judy got out of bed above him, probably got dressed, and then thudded her way out and down the stairs. As she emerged from the stairwell, her heavy eyes and staggered walk exclaimed pure exhaustion.

But, still very cute, he had to say. _No, not cute, we’re working on dropping that word. . . . Pretty? No, juvenile. Gorgeous? Nah, over the top. . . Wonderful? That’s just creepy. . . Attractive? . . . It’d have to do._

“Morning.” He murmured, eliciting a groan from the sleepy rabbit. The coffeemaker burbled, and he watched as her ears turned slowly to the sound. Then, as if by autopilot, her head also turned to look at the noisy kitchen appliance.

Then, like a zombie, she trudged across the room, fumbling around for a large travel cup and pouring in the wonderful-smelling beverage. She threw in what seemed to be a random amount of soy whitener, before pouring in some sugar.

At first, watching the grains of sugar continue to fall, Nick started to get concerned that she fell asleep. But, as he was about to open his mouth, she suddenly stopped, and began lazily stirring with what he was pretty sure was a chopstick.

She then abruptly turned, walked over, and sat in the seat across from him. She slunk down in the chair, still stirring, and let out another loud groan. “Next time, I’m putting a timer on you.” She murmured, barely finishing before a yawn escaped her. _Still c-, er, attractive. And, interesting ‘next time’ statement. . ._

He raised a brow, acting surprised as he stifled a chuckle. “I’m sorry. . . I thought you liked it.” He responded, keeping his voice low. No one was up this hour, but he wasn’t risking it.

“Oh, I liked it. But, could’ve used some extra time for sleep.” She groaned a response, lifting her head up and taking a swig of her coffee. Nick mirrored the action, taking in another deep drink of his own.

“Well, if you don’t mind me saying, it will help if next time you start ‘coming’ earlier. . . In both senses.” He spoke with a soft chuckle, a groan giving way to a sheepish grin.

She shrugged, still grinning. “I can do _one_ of those, the other one you’ll have to work on, won’t you?” She shot a suggestive look, locking eyes with him as she took another drink.

“Noted. I look forward to working on improving. Name the time, and the place, and I’ll be there.” He flirtatiously retorted, watching for her reaction.

She shrugged again. “We’ll see, fox. Last night helped, a lot. Most of the symptoms are gone, for now. How I feel tonight will be the answer, I suppose.”

Considering how she reacted when he first suggested this, she seemed pretty laid back about it now. Which only made him wonder what was going through her mind. She pulled out her phone and began tapping with one hand as the other brought her coffee back to her lips.

Nick took that as a sign that the conversation was over and decided this was the perfect time to cook some breakfast. He took one last swig of his coffee and stood up from the table. 

From the corner of his eye, he saw the rabbit watch him as he walked from the table towards the cupboard, still sipping her extremely sweet coffee. How she could do that, he didn’t know.

But what he did know, was exactly what he was cooking. As if by automaton, he grabbed the flour, some oil, baking powder, salt, sugar, and vanilla extract. Thinking on it for a second, he also turned to the fridge and pulled out two carrots, and a small carton of blueberries.

The dry crap went in first- he knew that. All perfectly measured and whisked together. But, the wet. . . He just randomly mixed water, oil, and the vanilla extract together, measuring be damned. All the while, he could feel the gaze of the rabbit on him.

By now she knew what he was doing, for sure. And this was probably going to be the one chance he had to cook, before Chrys got up.

He poured the liquid in with the dry, almost haphazardly, and whisked it together. When the mixture was. . . ‘mixed’. . , he set it aside, and turned to the carrots and blueberries. Picking up a carrot, he wondered how he should put it in there.

An errant thought made him wonder what she might have done with carrots. . . Readily available, _that_ shape. . . But back onto the task at hand. He grabbed a peeler and began to shred the carrots into the mixture. He stopped when he finished the first one and stuck the second carrot back in the fridge.

At this point, he heard the rabbit’s chair quickly screech, as she turned it to face him. She was still drinking from her large cup, watching him curiously. He grabbed a pawful of blueberries, and dropped them into the mix, placing the rest back in the fridge. Then, with a spoon, he mixed the additives in, the carrot shavings breaking up nicely. He poured some mix into the pan, the light sizzle filling the room with that wonderful smell.

It wasn’t long before the first pancake was just about ready, as he flipped it one final time to level out the heat. The first was always a little random, and weird, as the stove was still only heating up.

Satisfied, he turned around to the rabbit, who’d already grabbed a set of plates, maple syrup, and margarine while he cooked. She had also done a hip check on him, but he wasn’t sure if that was by accident or to try and get him out of the way of the cutlery. . .

Irrelevant. He plopped the pancake on the plate, as she smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

He shrugged, heading back to the pan to pour his own. “Don’t thank me. . . Call this ‘sorry for sneakily licking your ass’ last night. I should control my impulses better.”

She chuckled, putting on a thin layer of margarine before spreading some syrup on top. “Maybe warn me next time, hmmm? Or, am I just going to have to come to expect that to happen?” She asked with an amused glance, as she began digging in.

“Hey, give me a bit of a break; my first plan was to bite it. But then, I figured I’d be making an ass out of myself.” He chuckled, causing Judy to let out a short laugh. He grinned and pressed the real joke. “After all, you know what they say; you are what you eat. . . . Guess that makes me a rabbit, now.”

At that, she set down her fork and knife as she visibly shook, holding what would’ve been loud laughter. After she calmed down a bit, she shook her head as she picked up her utensils again. By then, Nick had finished his own pancake, and had sat down across from her. “You really are terrible. Sometimes, I-“

_Creak-thump_. The sound of a door upstairs swinging open caused them to freeze. Were they too loud? No, no way anyone heard what they said, anyway. Then, there was the sound of loud thumping as whoever it was headed for the stairwell.

They looked at each other, simultaneously holding digits to their mouth, and nodding in silent agreement. Nick was a little disappointed, he had a good response in mind. . . It would have to wait. . . If he could remember what it was

The thumping descended the stairwell, and quickly the noise descended into the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, it was Chrys, the wolf thumping down the stairwell and into the kitchen, his nose twitching as he likely searched for the source of the cooking. He locked his gaze on the stove, looking from there to the two mammals at the table, who stared back at him innocently.

_He didn’t hear anything, right? Nah, he couldn’t have._ “Morning Chrys. Sorry for waking you up.” Nick chimed in, a little quiet as there was still one last sleeping resident.

A grunt. The wolf stalked across the floor, heading right for the bowl holding the rest of the pancake batter. He leaned his huge body down, sniffing it wildly.

Nick knew he was protective of the kitchen, and, suddenly he wondered how Chrys would react to this. He was no chef, that was for sure. He just lived on his own for a while, so, he learned how to make a few things at least ‘decently’.

“I got up early, and, well apparently I woke her up with how loud I was, so. . . I thought I’d make her breakfast in return. . . Sorry for invading your kitchen.” Nick murmured, shrugging.

Chrys looked at him, his eyes a mystery of focused emotion. “Uhuh.” He turned back, grabbing a spoon from the drawer and taking a small amount of batter.

Without half a thought, the wolf immediately ate it, smacking his lips as his eyes turned upward in contemplation. Unsurprisingly, he’d want the chance to judge Nick’s cooking. . . Or, anyone’s for that matter. He stood there for a while, his head bobbing back and forth. Nick knew he wasn’t a great cook, so, he was pretty sure this was not going to be good.

Chrys smacked his lips for what seemed (and probably was) a minute, before standing bolt upright again, flattening his ears on the roof.

“You should use less sugar- the blueberries add some, so, they can throw it off balance. And, maybe next time wash the carrots first. They also need to be thinner slices, and smaller – it’ll combine better, and therefore cook completely. Although, you could probably do better without the carrots in the mix.” The wolf said with a shrug. “But, not bad.”

Nick rolled his eyes and began eating his own pancake. He thought they were fine. . . Okay, maybe, the dumbass was right about the sugar, as Nick frowned. “Well, I’m not a cook, I was just trying to do something nice.”

“Mm, I like them, personally. Especially the carrots and blueberries. A little sweet, little odd, but somehow it kind of tastes like carrot cake with blueberries inside.” The rabbit across chimed in, causing the fox to look back across the table.

Judy was busy eating, apparently happily. But she did glance back up at him, smiling, before continuing. Nick wasn’t entirely sure if she was telling the truth, or just felt bad for him. . . But then, did either really matter? He smiled back, albeit a little late as she’d already turned away.

_Eh, maybe Chrys will leave now, then we can continue our conversation. I was having a lot of-_

“What’s going on. . . . Do I smell, _pancakes_?” A voice called from the stairwell, causing three heads to turn. The sight caused Nick to internally stifle a groan.

Sharla wandered into the living room, dressed in the greyest yoga pants and matching hoodie. Clearly, this morning’s outfit was picked with the lights off. Or, the ‘justdon’tcare’ model. 

“Well, there’s something in here. . . Sure, we’ll call it _pan-cakes_. Here! I’ll make us some!” Chrys yelled, as he began pouring some batter into the pan.

With Nick’s hope of a quiet moment with Judy shattered, he glanced back across the table at the rabbit. “Yay!” Sharla gleefully exclaimed, as she hopped over beside Chrys.

At about the same time, Judy returned his look, exaggeratingly rolling her eyes as she forked her pancake. 

As she stared back at him, he had an awful idea. A terrible, dirty, awful idea, which he couldn’t ignore. Nick devilishly grinned, stuck out his tongue, and wagged it towards the rabbit.

Judy must’ve picked up the meaning immediately, as he watched her ears flush and she averted her gaze. _She’s so cute._

* * *

Their morning classes were. . . Awkward? Ish? But, in a good way. Sitting together after last night, Nick didn’t expect that it would ever be the same.

For one, neither one of them tried to answer any questions that Dave asked, causing some curious looks from Dave. The jaguar even asked, loudly to the class, if they were okay, or if the weekend broke them.

Nick just laughed, and said he was giving the rest of the class a chance to learn something. It was perhaps a little too brash of him, and Dave gave him a rather quizzical look.

Something told the fox that Dave would’ve questioned him further, if the Jaguar didn’t suspect it was personal; attempting to hide something from a former officer was a pretty hard task

Beyond that, Dave knew Nick, a lot. Bogo and Dave were good friends and were partners back in the day. That was a lot of years to get to know someone, especially when they were lying.

But luckily, he and Judy managed to sneak out before he could stop them. And luckily, Communications class was a breeze; the classroom, for whatever reason, was filled with desk & chairs on wheels. The whole thing was basically a game of bumper cars, with everyone practicing speeches in between.

At last, they managed to emerge from class, heading over to the cafeteria. This time, Chrys was not on kitchen duty, so they surmised he must have been in the back somewhere. Which was a good thing as they quickly grabbed some food and sat at one of the many empty tables.

Around 11:00, the cafeteria was basically abandoned by the students. It worked out well for them, as they settled in.

As they dug in, the silence began to bother Nick. He wasn’t sure what to say and had hoped that Judy would’ve started some conversation. Not necessarily a conversation about last night, but, just something.

The food dwindled, and as Nick began to toy with the last few bites, he decided he’d had enough of it. Holding a fork full of food before his nose, he frowned. “So, I’m not absolutely sure, but, Da-“

“Hey guys!” A voice called out, causing Nick to sigh as Chrys approached them. Dressed in his bright white frock, the towering canine bounded up to them. Nick raised an eyebrow as he saw the sheep walking along happily beside him.

_Curious_. “Hey, how was your class’?” Judy chimed in, turning to the two incomers. She also seemed a little interested on why the two arrived together. After all, neither of their classes were anywhere close to one another. At least, Nick didn’t believe so.

Sharla chimed in immediately, as she bounded to Judy’s side. “Oh, y’know, fairly boring so-n-so. Classes are classes. Hey, um, can me and you talk?” The sheep quickly changed the subject, as she put her hoof on the rabbit’s shoulder.

Suddenly, Nick got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was off. Judy must’ve got the same feeling, as she looked at her friend, puzzled. “Um, sure. What do you want to talk about?”

Sharla shook her head a little bit. “Eeeerrr, this is a little more. . . Um. _Private_ , of a conversation. . . Y’know, it’s about _boys_.”

The rabbit grinned up at her. “Why, you got your. . . _eye_ , on someone?” Judy joked, making a sidelong glance at the giant standing near. Nick couldn’t help but grin at the thought, as he looked up at Chrys.

Who, naturally, was just smiling down at the table, seeming as oblivious as always. _Why did I expect anything less_ , Nick thought, shaking his head.

But then, the sheep reached down and grabbed Judy’s arm gently. “Yeah, sure, whatever. How about we go to the library?” Something felt wrong about this. Nick felt his tail start to bush, and he had to fight against his instincts not to go full poof.

The rabbit, on the other hand, stared at her friend in surprise. “Um, yeah, sure.” Judy mumbled, as she stood up with her tray of food. The sheep had let go, but stood nearby, making glances between everyone at the table. 

He wasn’t impressed. The one chance that he had to talk to Judy about last night, and the sheep was going to take her away from him. Of course, with them here it was already irrelevant. And if he voiced a complaint, that would create more questions. Neither of them wanted that.

“I guess I’ll talk to you guys later then.” The rabbit began, before the sheep growled, and grabbed her hand and started leading her away. “Sorry guys, but, we need to have a little, you know, woman-to-woman talk.”

“Uh, Okay. I guess I’ll see you in Intro!” Judy managed to get out, before the sheep began pulling her along out of the cafeteria. As they walked away, Nick couldn’t help but watch that little cotton tail bound along, before she turned the corner.

He let out a long sigh, shaking his head lightly. With any luck, they’d get some chance to talk to each other later on. . . _Heck, maybe I’ll see here again tonight_. . . He thought, turning back to his food as bad thoughts began to appear.

A flash of movement caused him to look up. Chrys, who’d he’d nearly forgotten was there, had slunk down into the chair Judy had just left. And stared at the fox, intently.

In fact, it was the most serious look he’d even seen from the maned wolf. Nick smiled at him, one eyebrow cocking up. “So. . . How are you, Chrys?”

The wolf shrugged, practically ignoring the question. But, it did get him to start talking. Unfortunately. “The better question is; What’s up with you and Judy?” The wolf didn’t even bother trying to soften the blow, as Nick’s look turned to surprise.

Luckily, Nick was a fairly decent actor when he had to be. “What do you mean, ‘what’s up’? We’re friends.”

The wolf’s eyes narrowed. “Really, hm? Then why were you so embarrassed that day when I ‘interrupted’ you two on the couch? What were you doing on the couch that was so. . . Intimate?” The wolf mused, crossing his arms with a victorious smile.

Nick wasn’t sure why; it wasn’t much to go on, and actually was wrong. “I was talking to her about my step-dad, and moody shit like that. You surprised me. I wasn’t embarrassed, I was still calming down. I mean, you randomly run into the house shouting, and you don’t expect people to be surprised?”

“Then why do you spend a lot of time together? Like today, at lunch?” Chrys pushed the line, still acting smug. Too smug for his own good.

Nick mimicked the crossed arms, relaxing back into his seat. “Oh, I don’t know, we’re in the same classes, we’re in the same dorm, we actually get along somewhat, we’ve actually became friends. Neither of us have a lot of friends out here, either, so, that’s why. We’re friends, we get along. Isn’t that enough? Is there some universal rule that two people of the opposite sex _must_ get together if they hang out together? They can’t be friends?”

“Oh? What about all those looks I catch you giving her? Not a very _friendly_ vibe.” A wolfish grin appeared.

_Shit_. “What do you mean?” He asked, warily.

Rolled golden eyes deflected that sad defence, followed with a sigh. “You are seriously going to just deny the fact that you just stared her ass down like it was dessert, or something. And that’s not even the first time this week, let alone this month.”

Nick was starting to realize that he’d underestimated the wolf. . . That blank stare was apparently not as blank on the inside. But the fox wouldn’t back down, nor give up. “You know, I’m pretty sure if we got a poll going, there’d be a list of people who’ve looked at her ass. Which, thinking about it now, I kind of feel terrible about it. . . . And don’t go pretending you haven’t looked, too.”

The fox threw it out there, just hoping somehow it would stick. The wolf stared him down instead, letting silence sit for a moment. Then, he sighed. “Yeah, I have, I’ll be honest. It’s a cute butt. A very cute one. But at least I’m not as fucking obvious about it as you are. Frankly, I’m starting to wonder how she hasn’t figured it out.”

_Waitaminute. He thinks. . . She doesn’t know. . . Hmm. . . ._ He could use that. “There’s nothing to figure out. I mean, sure, she’s cute. Even you’ve admitted to that. But there’s nothing going on between us, nothing going to go on, and I’m not interested in having anything happen, either. She’s really not my type. I generally prefer more soft-spoken women.” He lied through his teeth, trying not to laugh, or grimace. “And frankly, you’re one to talk about being oblivious; that sheep’s been out to jump you since she saw you, and, what, you’ve somehow missed that?”

The wolf scoffed, rolling his eyes. Aha, the big reveal, the wolf was fully aware. . . Internally, he knew he lost the bet and somewhat threw the sheep under the bus (under the wolf?), but this was survival at this point. Protecting Judy was far more important. “I’m aware of that. But she wants a serious relationship and that’s not my playbook, and Judy already warned me about how she recently broke up with her boyfriend. Not exactly fair to play with her that way. I’m still working on how to handle it, but I am aware. But that’s not what this discussion is about, it’s about you and Judy.”

. . . . Well, he definitely lost the bet. . . The wolf was a far better actor than Nick gave him credit for. “Okay, well, there is no me and Judy. We’re just friends. Not compatible. But, you’re right. If I’m supposed to be her friend. . . I should really stop looking at her like that. It’s just a little hard, y’know.”

Chrys stared across at him for a moment, narrow eyes watching. Then, he sighed, and nodded. Leaning forward, the smile reappeared and all of a sudden, he seemed like he was his regular self again. “Okay. Well then, if you’re not interested in her, I suppose then you don’t mind if I start flirting with her? I mean, you kind of caught me, I think she’s pretty fucking hot. And, I don’t know, I have a thing for small prey.”

That surprised Nick, and it showed on his face. Quickly, he thought of how to respond properly. “Oh, really?” . . . Yeah, he was really trying, okay?

Nick cleared his throat. “Well, sure, you don’t need my permission. Just, don’t be mean or mislead her – She’s still my friend and all. She says no, then drop it, eh?” _And good fucking luck, buddy. She’s coming to me already, and I don’t plan on sharing._

“Oh, of course. I’m always honest about my whole ‘just playing around’ thing, and I can take ‘no’ as an answer. But, thanks, I just didn’t want to step on your toes if you were trying to get with her. . . Besides, It might be for the best. I’m closer to her age, after all. She’s only, like, 19, and you’re almost 30.”

. . . “27, but yeah, that’s another reason it’s not going to happen. . . The age gap’s a little much.”

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

* * *

MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER SEMI-SECLUDED SPOT, IN A LIBRARY NOT-THAT-FAR-AWAY

* * *

The two mammals sat down at an empty table, in a somewhat empty library. There were a few people around, reading textbooks, doing homework; truly typical library stuff.

Except their table. Judy had been practically dragged by Sharla all the way there, and the sheep had been totally mum about the whole reason why. She’d asked, but the sheep would just ignore her until finally Judy gave up until they arrived.

Now, they were sitting across from each other in complete silence. The sheep’s hooves were crossed, as she stared across to her high school friend. At least, Judy was assuming they were still friends. Now, it was kind of up in the air.

Judy crossed her arms in mimicry, adopting an aloof attitude. If Sharla wanted to play the weird game, then that was her choice. “So, what’s up, Sharla? A new development in the ‘Chrys’ case? Have you finally come up with a plan to ask him out, or?” 

The sheep, in response, rolled her eyes exaggeratingly. “Yeah, right. I thought about it last night, and I’m giving up on that dolt. . . But, that’s not what we’re here to talk about, Judy. We’re here to talk about you.”

Judy relaxed, uncrossing her arms as she leaned back into the chair. “Well, there’s nothing to talk about involving me. But, this whole dropping Chrys, this is a new development. What spurned your change of heart?”

The sheep shrugged. “Eh, I gave him enough chances to make a move, that’s all he deserves. Besides, I’m not too sure why I liked him in the first place, probably rebound bullshit. But, are you entirely sure about that, Judy? No boys catching your eye, or anything?” Sharla asked, leaning back with a sinister look.

This was different for Sharla. For one, she’d thought this crush of hers would go on for a lot longer than that. Granted, it was a good thing. But, the more important change was the evil tone she was using. . . There was no way she could know about Nick, right? “Well, Rhett’s been doing his best, but, nope. There is only so many times they can explain the varieties of carrots before I start snoozing. Although, there was the one guy. . . He was pretty nice. If it wasn’t for my brother being involved in the process, I’d probably give him a chance.”

Sharla lightly shook her head as Judy spoke, further concerning Judy. “Yeah, what about _other_ guys, Judy. Other than the rabbits your brother sends your way. You’re not interested in anyone else?” The sheep repeated her question. Judy started to get a bad feeling in her stomach.

Part of her wondered why she was keeping this secret from her best friend. She’d known her for years. They didn’t have any secrets from one another, or, not many. And quite frankly, Sharla would likely be excited for her. The sheep always thought she was a prude in high school.

But then, there was the other side of the coin. One more person knowing, meant one more person who would talk about it. And frankly, Sharla probably would make too many ‘why aren’t you dating’ jokes. They were only ‘friends with benefits’, and it was only for a little while. Like, a week.

_Definitely not a good idea._ “No, no one. Why do you ask?”

“What about Nick?” Sharla asked, ignoring Judy’s question. _Shit. She suspects._ So, that wasn’t good. But Judy had been preparing for this, ever since she decided to cross that hall to Nick’s room.

Her head bobbed back, as her eyebrows fell in confusion. “Nick? As in, the fox? No. Why?” Overreacting would be the worst thing to do. So, she kept her voice calm, as she looked at the sheep in curiosity. Her best chance at convincing her friend otherwise was by finding out what she knew.

“You spend a lot of time with him. Like. A lot.”

Judy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, of course I do. I go to class with him. I live with him. And frankly, he’s my first friend that I’ve made out here. And, if we start considering how a lot of the CJ students have treated me so far, that’s a good thing. We’re friends, nothing more.”

The sheep nodded a bit. “Okay, fair enough. But then there was that day that you interrupted my studying, how you acted when we were joking and he said that shit.”

“You mean your pornograp-“

“I was studying.” The sheep affirmed.

Judy scoffed. “You were dick-doodling.”

“STUDYING! Anyway, when he interrupted us, I distinctly remember seeing you check him out, before you so sharply replied.” The sheep cornered her, adopting a far too smug tone.

Judy rolled her eyes in response. “Well, _given_ what we were talking about that day, I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t. The thought came to mind, but that’s it. That’s the very reason I said no. I’m not attracted to him, he’s my friend and nothing more. Neither of us are interested in having a relationship in college, in general. And I definitely don’t need that issue right now, what with my parent’s manipulation going on.”

The sheep seemed a bit crestfallen. But then, an idea seemed to come to her. “Well, you don’t need to have a _relationship_. You could just, y’know, take him for a ‘test drive’. I’ve seen the way he looks at your ass, he’d probably enjoy it., too” Judy’s ears fell, adopting a look of disappointment and frustration. Although, the main reason was to hide the blush.

She was well aware of the fox’s wandering eyes (and now, wandering tongue. . . she’d have to watch out for that. . . ). But, it was still embarrassing to hear that everyone knew about it. “Well, I’m both flattered and creeped out by that. But, you’re forgetting, he’s a _fox_. As in an F. O. X. Fox. Number one, my parents would shit a brick hospital. Two, we’re not _compatible_ , physically. Like, not at all. Tab _A_ is not fitting in slot-“

”Um, actually. . . “ The two mammals were suddenly interrupted, heads whipping to the right to face a female Caracal, who they had noticed at a nearby table when the walked in. Judging by her stuff still sitting over there, the feline had rolled herself over, for some reason. “The fox _would_ likely fit. I mean, if we assume _all_ things involved are average, there shouldn’t be any issue. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a tight fit, but I suppose some might enjoy that.” She finished, -glancing back and forth between the two friends. 

Then, the cat suddenly sat up a bit, seemingly realizing her intrusion. “Sorry, I’m in Interspecies Sociology, this is kind of what comes up in class. . . My name is Caroline – Spelled Carol-line, but pronounced Carol-lynn, it’s a peeve of mine – Nice to meet you.” The cat filled in some blanks, although her Int-Soc hoodie should’ve have been terribly obvious enough. Caroline outstretched a paw, offering it to both mammals.

Judy just stared at the smiling sand-coloured cat, somewhat dumbfounded. Why was she talking to them? Did she just randomly listen into their conversation? And why did she know so much about. . . That. . . The images it conjured nearly derailed her completely, as she felt the annoying claws of her heat start to dig back into the far-reaches of her consciousness. _Fuck_. So much for a day off. . .

Sharla, on the other hand, looked surprised, but happy with the invader’s words. Sharla reached out and shook the feline’s with a grin. “Hello, Caroline. I’m Sharla, the broken one is Judy-“ She put a paw on the side of her mouth, hiding it from the rabbit, and whispered. “She’s kind of the innocent country bumpkin bunny, y’know.”

Judging by the grin, Sharla knew full well that Judy could hear her. . . She was really starting to question their friendship. “Yeah, that really doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have any intention of being with him. We’re friends, nothing more. . . .” The rabbit mumbled.

But, neither seemed to hear her, as Sharla chimed up again. “So, you say it will fit, but, what about that, you know, thing they have. The round, bulb, weird shit?” Sharla asked, causing Judy’s ears to burn, as the picture from Sharla’s textbook wafted back into her mind.

“Oh, well, that’s especially why you really need to consult your doctor about it – Yeah, definitely don’t just take my word for all of this, you really do need to check in with your doctor before you do anything. Let’s just say there were a few ‘medical emergencies’ last year from. . . . Well, let’s just call them _ambitious and uneducated_ people. . . .” The caracal shrugged, with an amused grin. 

Sharla laughed, shaking her head. “C’mon, you gotta give us more than that. What happened, between what species’?”

“Well,” The feline started, leaning forward in the chair as she looked between the two females. The mild distraught look on Judy’s face was apparently not enough to dissuade her, as she continued. “I’ll give you a few stories. There were these two in class – A male lion, and a male dingo. It was quite apparent they liked each other, a lot. We all joked about it, but then one day. . . .”

 

 

Poor Judy. She sat there, endured story after story for what felt like hours. Finally, she managed to talk to the both, and convince them that there was nothing between her and the fox. She might’ve lied and said that she was pretty sure that Nick had a girlfriend back home and brought up that one rabbit who was really nice to her as someone she was considering. 

Either way, Sharla and Caroline were obviously quick friends, as they exchanged phone numbers and talked about their own classes. Sharla also started asking about what would fit for sheep, for. . . Obvious reasons. And Caroline responded fervently. It was clear that interspecies sex was not a primary part of Interspecies Sociology, but rather a mentioned thing that turned to a ‘hobby’ that the caracal had investigated.

In the end, Judy also emphasized that while she had nothing against interspecies relationships, she would never, ever consider having a relationship with a fox. It would be too weird, too wrong, and she wasn’t comfortable with the thought. It was better saying that that than the truth.

Of course, by the end of the long conversations, she was rather hot and bothered, and headed to Intro with a brain almost as distracted as before. Fucking Sharla.

* * *

Compared to the awkwardness of the afternoon classes, the morning classes were comfortable. Nick made sure not to walk too close to her in the halls, sat very ridged in his own seat, and did his best not to spend the entire class smiling and talking with her.

Which was hard. The rabbit was especially talkative, and very fidgety. He wasn’t being rude, though. He’d always respond to her, wasn’t short with her, and finished whatever conversation that began. He just made sure not to initiate any.

Afterwards, they came back to the dorm together, enduring a basically silent walk over. It surprised him. He was sure she’d talk about something, especially since there was no one around on the walk. And, thinking about it now, sitting at his desk, he probably should’ve brought it up then, and gotten a few things straight.

Instead, they arrived back to both Sharla and Chrys in the house, Chrys cooking and Sharla talking to him about some new friend she made at school. They joined in the conversation, although Judy seemed particularly embarrassed about it. Her ears were practically glowing the entire time, and this time, it wasn’t his fault.

They hung out with them for a few hours, before everyone split off to work on their own homework. Except, he didn’t have any homework, and neither did Judy- He figured, anyway. They were in the same class, after all.

Now, he just sat there staring at the typed-out message on his phone. It made logical sense to him, so, why was he hesitating on sending it? Maybe because it would be better to talk about it in person. . . But he couldn’t just trudge over to her room. The wolf was already suspicious of him, he couldn’t risk it.

The age wasn’t an issue, not to him. But in such pairings, it was rarely a problem with the older person. It was only. . . . Well, it was eight years. The only thing that concerned him was the fact that she might not know how old he was. And, with a gap that large, it kind of felt like an important thing to bring up.

For some reason, he always assumed she was, like, 24, 25. She seemed way too mature to be 19. Which, thinking on it now, was kind of condescending. Not everyone who was 19 was immature, nor were all 25-year-olds mature.

It probably wouldn’t matter overall; they were only having fun. It was just something that he needed to bring up, before it was too late.

Glancing over at the clock on his nightstand, he sighed as it rolled over to 10:00P.M. Thinking of late, if he was going to send it any time, now would be it. He hit the little send and watched as the phone’s little completion bar slowly filled. And then, the checkmark confirmed the arrival.

**N: I know tonight probably wasn’t a plan anyway, but I think we might want to cool it for a day or so. I don’t know what he might know, but Chrys is acting really suspicious of us. He cornered me at lunch today. We’ll probably have to be more careful and quiet next time. Also, we probably need to talk about a few things before we continue. Nothing serious. Just, work out a few. . . . ‘kinks’. . . ;p**

Hey, he wasn’t just going to be an asshole and say important shit over text. Or, be some moody, boohoo fox. It was important to tell her that Chrys was starting to suspect them, but, there was no sense warning her that he was going to flirt with her. Judy would be able to take care of that on her own, and he’d rather not seem like he didn’t want her to make her own choices. He stood up, stripped to his boxers, and fell into his bed, exhausted from the night before, and a frustrating day.

He set his phone on the nearby counter, ready to swipe it up if there was a response. There probably wasn’t going to be one tonight, it was a little late and she’d mentioned earlier that she wanted to get some of the sleep back she lost last night.

_Which, I was responsible for_. He grinned to himself, burying his head into a pillow as his body curled around it. They’d probably talk tomorrow, get everything straight, and everything would be fine. Besides, she was probably still ‘good’ after the previous night. After all, he liked to think he did a ‘good’ job, what with how many-

_Bzz-Bzz_. His eyes opened, seeing the dim glow of his phone. _What are the odds that was her?_ He wondered, as he stretched his hand out to pick it up. Looking at the lockscreen, the little text box read ‘Judy’, causing some concerning feelings.

Dread began to creep into the corners of his mind, as he wondered how long the response was. It’d been a few minutes, and she could type fast. Deftly unlocking his phone, he quickly clicked on messages to find out how deep in shit he was. But, instead, his eyes shot wider as he read the two words.

**J: Open Door.**

. . . What? He lifted his head, turning to look at the door.

_Bzz-Bzz_. He looked back at the message chain.

**J: As in now.**

_Okay then._. . He thought to himself. Did he say something wrong? It sounded serious. Or, did she just want to get everything sorted out right now? A fair move, and far more mature than waiting around like he seemed to want to. Either way, he apprehensively walked to the door, slowly opening it.

The moment it was wide enough, the rabbit slipped through in a blur, grabbing the door from his paws and silently closing it behind her.

“What-?” He began, before a rabbit paw flew up and covered his muzzle. She gestured the other over her own, a single digit calling for quiet.

_“Sorry.”_ He whispered. _“What, uh, what’s up?”_ He asked causing Judy to frown amusingly at him.

_“Well, first off, Chrys isn’t the only suspicious one. Sharla also cornered me. . . I mean, I’m not surprised with Sharla, but, Chrys noticing anything is concerning. So yeah, we’re going to have to be a lot more careful. . . . Second. . . What did you want to talk about? Like, you mean actual kinks, or? Cause if it’s about the whole licking ass thing. . .”_ She asked, her face getting a bit of concern between the joke.

Yeah, he had to tell her now. _“Um. . . No, I just. . . Wanted to make something clear. . .”_ He spoke, trailing off.

She gestured with her paws for him to continue, causing a sigh. _“Well. . . . How old do you think I am?”_ He finished with a cringe.

Her eyes narrowed, as one solitary eyebrow lifted. _“You’re 27.”_

_“No, I’m. . . . Yeah, I am 27. H-.”_ He started, confused.

_“You friended me on Fursbook. Like, class day two. And, unless you lied to that, you’re 27. Why?”_ She looked back, one ear falling to the side in curiosity.

_“I just wanted to make sure you knew. . . Wait, are you stalking me on Fursbook?”_ He suddenly became worried about his comment and post history. . .

_“Eh. What, were you worried that was a problem?”_ She asked, quietly.

_“. . . Yeah?”_ He ended questionably, trying not to look directly in her intense, judging purple eyes.

The rabbit grabbed him by his chestfur, pulling him into a deep kiss. Surprised, he did nothing for the first few seconds. Then, as his eyes closed and he leaned into the kiss, he brought his hands to her shoulders, and- She pulled away suddenly, taking a step back with an amused grin at the twice confused fox.

_“Dumb fox. We’re just having ‘fun’, first off. Second, I really don’t care how old you are, you clearly know what you’re doing, and that’s enough for me.”_

Standing straighter, brushing himself off, he tried to compose himself. What a tricky rabbit. . . _“. . . Alright. . . Well, that, that was it. . . I didn’t have anything else. . .”_

_“Okay.”_ She said, as she sat down on his mattress, smiling at the fox.

_“Um. I thought you were good for today?”_ He asked curiously. She’d said in their morning classes, she thought she’d be fine for a few days. Not that he was complaining, of course.

She shrugged. _“I was. Then Sharla and Caroline, our new friend, talked about sexual shit all lunch. Now, I’m here. You don’t approve?”_ The rabbit finished with a second shrug. Wait. Why were they talking about sex during lunch? Was that actually a thing they did at lunch?

_“Oh, I approve. But, what about Sharla and Chrys? I mean, they’re suspicious enough already.”_ He whispered, as he slowly sauntered to stand in front of her. As much as his words were saying no, his body was definitely wasn’t opposed to the thought.

She smiled at him, as she lifted a bag that he hadn’t even noticed in her paws. _“This, is a change of clothes for the morning. My backpack for tomorrow is already downstairs and packed for class. You can get up first, wait until everyone else is downstairs, then text me and I’ll come down completely dressed, and no one will be the wiser. We’ll stop hanging out so much during lunch and that, although slowly to avoid suspicion. Or, maybe have us all hang out together more, just not walk together all the time. And, I figure if I stuff a pillow in my face, I can hold in most of my mo-“_

She was rudely cut off, as the fox pulled her into a passionate kiss. And, she didn’t mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yay, new characters, and who the fuck saw them??? Also, I sincerely hope that their words to Sharla and Chrys don't come back to bite them. . . . Hehehehe. . .
> 
> No promises on the next chapter, but, yeah. Hope this makes everyone happy for the moment. Hoping to get a job here soon, so, yeah. Fun times. 


	8. The true measure of a Fox is not. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for some reason, I wrote this chapter really, really fast. I don't even know why I was so keen on it, but I was. Again, I'm going to put out a warning for almost smut. I hope everyone likes this chapter as much as I liked writing it. I really am not intending to write my chapters as long as they have become, but sometimes its necessary to get to where I want to be at the end. Which, I apologize for.
> 
> But now, we'll continue where we left off, with Judy's 'foolproof' plan in action. . .
> 
> Disney owns everything, except Caroline and Chrys. Although, if they want to take them off my hands, I'm not going to say no. . .

_Fuck. He learns. . . quick_. The rabbit thought, one paw clenching the pillow hard against her face, her legs lightly trembling as her hindpaws rested on Nick’s shoulders. Which, had seemed like a good plan before they started, but, after. . . Well, she’d given him playful, but unintended light ‘kicks’ throughout, all in good fun. 

But, as he threw her ‘overboard’ the final time, she had to fight not to violently kick him clear off the bed.

Half out of control spasm. The other half, from overstimulation; there was only so repetitive stimulation she could take, after all. Her other paw was still holding one of his black triangular ears, lightly massaging and tugging on the soft tissue. Thinking on it now, the fox was very lucky she managed to resist kicking him off. Otherwise, she might’ve harmed his adorable ear quite badly.

But finally, she had a moment to settle down, and she was going to take it with both paws. The fox himself, meanwhile, was still busy panting, finally able to truly catch his breath. She had to give him a lot of credit, he really dedicated himself to beating her toys this time. And, he had. By far.

. _. . I’m not going to tell him that._ She smiled to herself villainously, as she finally felt safe enough to take the pillow off, throwing it to the side. Judy might’ve thought the pillow was a good idea before, but, the pillow could only do so much. They most likely did not hear, but she already had an explanation forming in case anyone asked about the noise.

What also didn’t go to plan was how quickly the fox hoisted her onto the bed, and voraciously stripped her. Well, a gentle voracious, anyway. She’d barely had time to grab the pillow before he went to work. He still checked with her to make sure she was okay with what was going on, although this time it was non-verbal looks and nods. Well, mainly her nodding. And she had to admit, he never deviated from what she’d given permission for. Except the biting, but she supposed that was par for the course with a predator.

Not that she was complaining about any of it. Well, besides the fact that she literally watched him rip her panties into pieces this time. Thinking on it now, she decided that she’d try to come over without them from now on. While watching a thread dangling from his mouth was hot, she’d like to see his expression to going ‘commandog’.

Finally moving, the fox lifted his head, causing the rabbit to let go of his ear gently, her paw lowering to rest on her side. She continued staring up at the ceiling, imagining his expression, as he quietly took hold of the legs on his shoulders, lifting them off his shoulders. 

She wasn’t paying any attention; she was too busy thinking about how Nick would react to her going ‘commandog’. The imagined expressions of fox-surprise that appeared had her chuckling, the thought of his jaw dropping in desire encouraging her evil plot. The poor little fox. He’d probably lose his-

”Ahh!” She gasped, as she felt the fox lick her left hind paw, her leg outstretching instinctively. But, it did little, as he gently grasped the outstretched leg with both paws now, letting her right fall and relax. She glared at the fox angrily, as she hoped her gasp was quiet enough. 

For someone who didn’t want Chrys and Sharla to know, he certainly enjoyed his ‘surprise’ things. They probably need to have a talk about that. _“I’m not complaining, but, if you want to keep up the whole ‘impromptu licking’ thing, we’re going to have to find a more secluded place for this.”_ She whispered. The fox just grinned back, as he began to delicately lick her paw, trailing down the backside of her leg.

It felt good, so, Judy didn’t bother telling him to stop. Besides, if it made him happy. . . Well, he kind of earned it. As he trailed down her leg and onto her rear, she was both surprised and unsurprised as he gave it a delicate nip.

_“Ow.”_ She quietly complained, not even close to being surprised enough to shout. But instead of a sorry, she got a quiet _erf_ , followed by what was likely ‘apologetic’ licks to the sight. The truth was, the feel of his teeth on her skin was a little exciting. . . Another thing he didn’t need to know about. She’d be covered in light bruises and rumpled fur before the night was out, otherwise.

Then, he continued his trail up, circling – gladly – to the outside of her hip, using his paws on her leg to turn her slightly sideways. At this point, she was just glad that his grip was keeping her trembling under control, as she took a moment to recover from his silver tongue. _Nah, that’s a gold tongue. 24 ‘Carrot’ gold._

The tongue-trail turned back to centre, as he creeped up her waist and stomach, licking and nibbling her dewlap happily before moving upward to dig into nuzzling/nipping her neck, his paws holding himself steady above her.

_“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were going to eat me, Mr. Fox.”_ She murmured resting her paws on the vulpine’s waist. This earned a murmur of something from the fox, who pulled his head away to gaze at her with intense, reflecting green eyes.

That didn’t help the whole ‘preyed’ feeling, but then he leaned down and kissed her. She leaned her own head into the kiss, as her paws trailed up his neck as the kiss deepened.

It lasted for a while with short breaks when he’d pull away to breath, only to descend on her again from a different angle. As if, for some reason, he thought he might ‘miss’ a part of her, with that gigantic tongue of his.

Then, he pulled away further, this time grinning down at her as his chest rose and fell. _“Eating you, hmmm? Well, the idea is appetizing. . . You taste very good, and, I can’t pretend that biting you doesn’t excite me. . . . In fact, why shouldn’t I just eat you now, bunny? After all, I am the big bad fox your parents warned you about, hmmm?”_

She smiled through lidded eyes. Using her grip on his neck, she lifted herself up to his ear, softly whispering, the large black triangle flicking to face her. _“Because. . . you haven’t gotten your reward yet, have you? Foxy doesn’t want to miss that, does he?”_

The whisper came out more confident than she felt about this. But that was the point, wasn’t it? Fake it until you make it. In this case, make it go off. The fox, on the other hand, chuckled in what sounded like nervousness. _Well, it’s good to know I’m not the only one slightly anxious._

_“You don’t have to. Really. I’m oka-“_ The fox began. But he was cut off as Judy swept the inside of his left elbow with a punch, causing him to lose his balance, falling to the mattress slightly offside to her. His other paw still held him up, as he tried not to fall on her. 

The rabbit took her chance, pressing her forepaws to his shoulders as she manoeuvred her hindpaws beneath her. She used their powerful strength to force him to roll onto his back, the small rabbit straddling his chest with a _thunk_ , smiling down victoriously. 

The fox, on the other hand, was staring up at her, bewildered and surprised. _“Judy.”_ He began, a single rabbit digit covering the tip of his muzzle instantly.

”Nick.” She said sternly. And, a little louder than she wanted, causing an internal grimace. _No, they wouldn’t have heard_. _“Nick, do you remember what my one condition was?”_ She asked, a triumphant grin appearing as the fox averted his gaze. Whether recalling, or scheming, she wasn’t sure.

_“Um. Do what you say? . . . Anything you say?”_ He whispered timidly. Her smile beamed, looking down at the trapped fox. The predator was acting so submissive suddenly, it was rather cute. Also, hilarious, considering he was debating devouring her only a few seconds ago.

She liked being treated like prey. Although, this was also turning out to be fun. _“Right. And are you going to fulfil that condition, or, were you just lying? Are you going to do what I say?”_

The fox nodded his head vigorously. _“Right. Good fox.”_ She spoke with an amused lilt, as she reached down and petted the top of his head. _“So, then, if what I say is that you’re going to relax, lie back, and take your reward like a good little fox. . . Are you just going to lay here, wag your bushy tail, maybe kick a hind paw in the air, and stuff a pillow over your muzzle as I make you moan this time, hmm?”_

Nick let out a likely unintentional squeak, before nodding his head rapidly. _Preying on predators. . . definitely fun. . ._ She thought to herself, as she scooted herself down the fox’s body. She’d have to do this more often.

The scoot alone caused one of his paws to twitch in the air, causing her to shake her head as she got comfortable sitting on the bed just past him, his tail trapped between her kneeling legs. It was already slightly waving back and forth, clearly betraying that the fox was enjoying this more than he seemed.

Finally, she was face to face with her ‘old’ enemy. She frowned. _Same ugly blue plaid boxers, hmm? Well, you’ve lived your last day_. With a delicate touch, she picked up the waistband with one paw. Judy held her other paw up to the moonlight, admiring the claw on her pointer digit. She brought the sharp weapon down on waistband and began to saw away at the elastic.

_“Wh- Hey, what are you doing?”_ The fox nearly shouted, as he sat up quickly, bracing himself up with his paws. _“Those are my favourite boxers, don’t destroy them.”_  
The rabbit frowned angrily, glaring at him as she lifted the clawed paw to his chest, poking him lightly. _”Lie back down, foxy. . . Shoo.”_ She murmured villainously, waving her finger at him.

Instinctively, the fox laid back down, although clearly uneasy. _“Just, don’t wreck them. Please? I’ve had them for so long.”_ He pleaded. But it might as well have been on deaf, gigantic ears.

_“Mmmm. I seem to remember my favourite pair of panties dangling from your maw earlier today, foxy. And I said nothing as you tore them from me. . .”_ That was an utter lie. Those panties weren’t her favourite by a long shot. Hell, she wouldn’t let her favourite pair get anywhere near him and those teeth, she wasn’t a fool.

But today. Today was the day she would strike down her enemy, in the name of fashion and oral sex. _“You know what they say, foxy, a life for a life. Or, underpants for underpants, I guess. I promise, I’ll make it worth it. Or, I’ll buy you a new pair. Good enough?”_

The fox let out a small while in response, as he stared at the roof. _Can’t handle watching the death of a love one? That’s fine. . ._ She thought, as she continued sawing through the elastic.

When the elastic gave way, she went down to the button that held the wide opening closed, her claw deftly snipping the worn cotton strands that held it together. Judy then took the button and managed to successfully bounce it off the fox’s nose, earning a snort from him and a giggle from her. At this point, the fox was breathing heavily, likely from excitement.

At least she hoped. She continued cutting from the bottom of the opening, her other paw firmly holding the two halves together. _Must not spoil the reveal, after all_. She continued cutting until she’d rounded the corner and snipped the tail chute open near the bottom.

At this point, the fox seemed more excited than upset, as he’d resumed watching her with curious green eyes. He couldn’t hide his want now, after all. She smiled, and with a quick pull of a paw, slipped the hideous fabric from his body, letting it fall beside his hip. No sense keeping it far away, with one possible use left. _Might need it for. . . clean. . . . up._ She paused her thinking, staring quietly downward.

Then, she looked up at the fox, whose gaze had been darting between himself and her face, until they locked with her glowing violet eyes. _“Grab your pillow, fox.”_

* * *

_“You’re messy, aren’t you?”_ The rabbit whispered, throwing the even-more-disgusting shred of boxers toward the little garbage bin by his desk. It made a resounding thunk-doof, as it bounced off the side and smashed onto the ground. _Oh well. It’s dark, I don’t have night vision. And, I’m exhausted._

_“Mmmrfnnnzzzhrrmmmmeermm.”_ The fox attempted to respond, but his mouth was quite occupied, clenched tightly onto the pillow. That poor pillow; it was now riddled with holes and tears, with the stuffing falling out all over the place.

Judy chuckled, as she crawled her way up the fox, sitting across his chest once again. _“What was that, Nick? Did you have some. . . complaints? Compliments? Advice? I mean, you made a lot of noise, but, I’m not an expert on fox linguistics; were those squeaks, barks, and all that stuff excitement, horror, sadness, joy?”_ She wasn’t very confident in her abilities before, but, watching the fox’s toe beans curl and uncurl was complimentary in her mind.

The fox continued gripping the pillow against his face, eyes shut, and maw clasped down tightly. _“Mmmeeerrrfffnnnsmmmeeerrkkk.”_ He mumbled out again, causing Judy to roll her eyes. You have to be difficult, don’t you? She shook her head, as she grabbed a hold of the pillow.

_“C’mon Nick, let go of the pillow. . .”_ She spoke softly, as she began to try and work the pillow out of his maw. Which earned an _erf_ from the fox, biting down harder on the pillow. She sighed, as she began to tug harder. She could hear ripping, and felt bad, although at this point the pillow was pretty much garbage anyway. _“Be a good little boy, just, let go.”_ Judy continued in a soft voice.

Nick whined causing her to roll her eyes and shake her head. _“Let. Go.”_ She said, this time more sternly as she tugged on the maligned pillow. This time, Nick let out a slight growl, as she began to pull harder. The sound of ripping fabric didn’t matter to her now.

But then suddenly, he opened his maw and let go of the pillow, causing her to throw the pillow up as she fell backwards. From the now-large holes, fluff flew everywhere. But she didn’t have much time to think on anything, as the fox suddenly seized her waist, pulling herself back up as he sat up and brought himself to her.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the kiss quickly made that impossible. As his paws curled around her back, she did the same to him, as he slowly leaned them back into the mattress.

This kiss wasn’t very deep, nor very long. The moment he settled down into the mattress, he broke the connection, taking in a few deep breaths. She smiled and brought her paws to his chest as she held herself above him. _“Well?”_ She demandingly whispered, only this time he couldn’t hide behind a pillow.

This time, he chuckled, before finally answering her. _“As if you don’t fucking know, rabbit. . . And pardon me, but it’s your fault I’m so, ‘messy’. . .”_ The fox did his best to whisper, as he lifted his head and began licking her neck.

She chuckled at the feeling, as his pink tongue tickled her. _“I’m guessing that means you liked it. . . I’d say sorry about your boxers, but I’m not that sorry.”_ She responded grinning down at the fox, who let out a short laugh.

He gave her neck another delicate nip, before he pulled away and looked in her eyes. _“Let’s just be clear here. That was fucking awesome. Or awesome fucking, whatever. But next time, I’ll rip my own boxers off.”_

She smiled down at him, her ears blushing. This time, she didn’t even bother hiding them from him. She slid off, laying down beside him. His gaze followed her, as he turned onto his side. _“So then, where do I rank for you, Nick? Keep my inexperience in mind, though. I’ve only ever done this once before. . . And, yeah, that wasn’t great. . .”_

He smiled, as he pulled her closer to him. _“You did great. . . For a beginner. You need some more experience, but, you’re very well off. . . What about me, this time? Did I dethrone the Vibra-carrot?”_

She didn’t have one of those, but she got what he meant. Judy was a little disappointed that she wasn’t the best he’d ever had. But then, she did only have that one wayward tryst in school. . . Not even Sharla knew about that one. . . She’d just have to try harder next time. _“Well, you definitely did better than last time. You’re really figuring out rabbit physiology. . . But you still need to develop your paw-work. It’s a little lacking.”_

He nodded. _“Noted. . . . I think I need to tell you something. About Chrys.”_ The fox began, causing Judy’s ears to perk slightly. That was a sudden turn for the conversation to take, and she couldn’t help but wonder what was so pressing. She knew that Chrys had asked Nick a lot of questions about her and him and claimed that Nick was into her. But what else was there to add?

_“Go ahead.”_ She murmured, watching him. Whatever it is, it must’ve concerned him.

Nick waited for a moment, seemingly contemplating what he was going to say. Then, he sighed, finally sputtering out what he was holding in. _“Well, he’s not an idiot. All that blank staring, he’s been watching, and paying a lot of attention. He’s been more than aware of Sharla’s attraction to him, since like, the beginning. He’s just not been sure how to turn her down, gently. . . . Apparently, you warned him about the breakup she went through, and he’s been too cautious about hurting her since.”_

Judy looked at the fox in surprise. _He’s known. . . All this time? Oh boy, Sharla would be pissed. . . If I tell her._ And, more importantly, Judy won the bet. _“First off, I win, I’ll decide on my reward later. Second, holy shit. Third, he has nothing to worry about anymore. She’s so fed up with him, she’s apparently moving on.”_ She answered, certain that it would fill in a few of Nick’s blanks.

_“First, we never said the deal was over anything. Second, that’s an interesting development. . . Well, she’s probably better off. Chrys is great, but that crush of hers wasn’t the healthiest thing.”_ Nick muttered, his one paw stretching across to rest on her waist.

Judy rolled her eyes. _“You’re right about the crush. But more importantly, the deal might not have been over anything, but a winner still deserves a reward. . . How about you buy lunch tomorrow, for all of us? I mean, at an actual restaurant, not the cafeteria.”_

Nick shook his head. _“Something tells me I won’t win this argument.”_

_“You won’t.”_ She chimed in.

_“Well then, I should get something, too.”_ He huffed, as his other paw trailed across, taking hold of her waist.

_“Like what?”_ She asked warily.

_“This.”_ Nick whispered with a growl, pulling her hard against his chest. Then, he started to curl his body around her, his large tail coming around as he began to turn into a donut around her.

_Fucking adorable, but what the fuck are you, a snake?_ She thought to herself as he curled into the perfect donut around her. Although, unlike the one she saw before, he left a decent gap for her to move around in the middle. She’d sat upright to avoid being twisted, but now she was glaring down at the fox.

_“What are you doing?”_ She asked.

He let out another _erf_ , before answering. _“Well, it’s thanks to your mouth that my pillow is now basically shredded. . . so, you’ll have to substitute tonight.”_ He murmured triumphantly, as he let out a yawn.

Thinking on it, she did remember the pillow being squeezed in the middle of his previous donut. Although, she could easily refute his claim of blame; her mouth might’ve been an aider, but the committer was his own.

_“Fine. But I’m getting a big lunch, then. And picking the restaurant.”_ She murmured, as she settled into the centre, making her own little donut. She rested her head in his neck, burrowing her nose into the russet fur.

_“Mmmrf.”_ He responded, as he tightened the donut, pressing his underside against her gently as his tail curled around them both.

Maybe this was going to be more comfortable than she thought. . . But she wasn’t going to tell him that.

* * *

In the morning, the plan went off without a hitch. Well, mostly. Nick had a bit of pillow clean-up to do, along with grieving for his lost boxers. But other than that, it worked perfectly. The devious fox only nipped and licked her butt twice, which was well within her expectations.

Luckily, he didn’t do it ‘stealthily’ like before. Heck, he might as well have started humming the PAWS theme. But afterward he hopped downstairs just fine, and it wasn’t long before she got the text to come down.

Of course, she went looking about his room while she was waiting. . . Unfortunately, she didn’t find anything exciting. So, she spent the last few boring minutes neatening his room. It wasn’t bad, but eh. Except the underpants. . . They stayed where they were.

On the way down, she made a quick stop at her own room. She chucked her other clothes into her hamper, before loudly thumping around the room and shutting the door with a Clunk. Other than a few mistakes last night, she was sure that her plan was going to work perfectly. . .

Neither of their roommates seemed to suspect anything new when they got downstairs. Chrys talked a lot more to her than usual, but she figured that was normal enough for him. Sharla, instead, basically did not acknowledge Chrys existed.

When Nick raised the suggestion of going to lunch as a group, Sharla was quick to invite Caroline, much to Judy’s dismay. Judy didn’t have anything against the caracal, she seemed like a nice person. She’d love to be friends with her, but the last thing she needed was the feline to mention anything they were talking about the day before. 

Especially with Sharla and Chrys already so suspicious. But there was no reason to start worrying about it now. Judy was sure she could head anything off at the pass. Maybe she’d be fine, and nothing would come up at all.

Breakfast ended like it began: uneventfully. Nick left earlier, going for a ‘run’ before class. She waited around awhile, before leaving herself. The two met at their Ethics classroom, sitting together as usual. Neither Chrys nor Sharla could see them in class, and as far as everyone there was concerned, they were just friends. 

But, speaking of the classroom, things had been changing there since the start of the year. All the smaller mammals had started hanging around them, and even some of the large mammals had started talking to them like equals. A little superficial, she thought. But Nick still acted amiable and friendly toward them.

The two acted more like themselves the second day, and their classmates seemed to pick up on the difference. But the good news is, their newfound ‘friends’ chalked it up to a cold that was going around. They were back to answering questions, cracking slightly stupid jokes, laughing with the teacher, and generally being engaged in the class atmosphere. Given yesterday, it was obvious it was only the initial ‘awkwardness’ that had them down.

After their Ethics class, they both went to the testing centre to complete their first Law exam. According to Dave, it was one of the hardest exams in the course due to the size of the material. Judy had done her best to prepare before coming over to Nick’s room last night, and in their twenty-minute break after Ethics class.

Sitting in the testing centre with her criminal code, she found the test extremely easy. They were given 120 minutes to complete it, and she finished her initial run-through in 20 minutes. She, of course, hung around for an additional 40 to make sure that she picked all the ‘right’ answers. Or, what she figured was the right answers.

Satisfied, she stood up and began walking out of the testing room. She noticed that Nick, who had been sat behind her, had already left the room. Internally, she chastised herself for taking so long on double-checking. It wasn’t a competition, but it was. Of course, all that really mattered was who got the highest score, of course.

Gathering her backpack and cell phone from the secure lockers outside the room, she found a message waiting from Nick, suggesting that they should probably not spent the hour they had to wait together, since Chrys’ class ended later than anyone else’s. He said he’d meet them by his car at 11:30, and that if she was late then he’d get ‘revenge’. Whatever that meant.

So, she hung out in the library with Sharla and Caroline, who both had a gap in their class until the afternoon. The two were talking together when she arrived, but she was pleased to find out that it was ‘regular’ things. Caroline was talking about how the first civilizations of predators and prey began working out how to cooperate, and some of the treaties and wars that occurred during their early years.

It was interesting to listen to, especially the part about how the first predators to begin working with the prey population were those that were prey to larger predators, such as otters, foxes, raccoons, weasels, and the sort. It apparently dated all the way back to the stone age, although there were lots of ‘breaks’ in those peaceful moments.

It wasn’t long before they had to go grab Chrys, unfortunately ending an interesting conversation. But they were running late, especially after they picked up Chrys from the kitchen and hurried out the side door. 

Of course, Sharla, Caroline, and Chrys were still talking together as they were leaving. For the most part, they didn’t even bother to acknowledge that Judy was there, which was good enough for her right now. She was too busy wondering what Nick was going to do for ‘revenge’. But, as they walked into the fresh air, the banal conversation quickly changed as Sharla turned to Judy.

“So, why exactly is Nick taking us all to lunch, Judy? Did something happen?” Sharla asked, the question thinly veiled even for her. But, Judy, as always, had an answer for everything.

“Eh, he lost a bet. We were betting on who would do better on our last assignment, and I solidly tromped the fox by a whole percent.” She played out their planned lie. It wasn’t the greatest, but with how competitive they both were, it would hold up to scrutiny.

Sharla nodded. “Makes sense. Pretty expensive venture for a whole percent, though.” Caroline chimed in with a shrug. Chrys, on the other hand, was resorting to blankly staring ahead again. . . _But this time, I’m onto you, wolf_. She thought to herself, as she nodded to Caroline.

“I know. But, he’s the one who opened his fat mouth and made the bet. As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to make him pay up for it.” She murmured, glancing down at her FitBark watch and seeing the unfortunate 11:37 shining back at her. Still, she started smiling when she saw the fox leaning on his crappy red car. The top was already down, which was a good thing considering who’d be coming with them on this trip.

_Chrys’ going to look ridiculous hanging out of that tiny car._ Her smile widened as they all arrived at the car, Nick making an exaggerated glance at his watch. “I know, we’re late. But we’d better get going if we want to avoid the lunch rush.”

Nick sighed, as walked around and climbed over his door and into the driver’s seat. “One percent. _One_ fucking percent.”

“A win, no matter how small, is a win.” The caracal commented, smiling at the fox. “I’m Caroline.”

The fox smiled back. “Ah, I’ve heard so much about you, Caroline. I’m Nick, nice to meet you. . . . You’ll have to pile in the back with Judy and Sharla. The tall one’s going to have to sit in the front.” He commented, as the group all piled into the tiny car.

The springs sagged, notably, suggesting that they were well past their golden age. But Judy wasn’t going to point that out. “So, where are we going?” Nick asked, as he began to crank over the motor.

Which, she couldn’t help but notice took longer than it probably should’ve. . . Again. She wasn’t going to say anything. He seemed to love his crappy little car, and at this point, he already had plans to get her back for being late. . . Whatever that meant. There was no sense in egging him on.

“Well, there’s that Lunar Restaurant, the one with the buffet. I figured that’s the best choice, considering the variety of stomach sizes here.” She answered, practically. Yes, she said she was going to go somewhere expensive. But then, a buffet was at least the best value for the fox’s money.

They all seemed to like that idea, so they took off and arrived at the restaurant. Luckily, they beat the lunch rush just by a hair, as a pretty intense line began to form behind them. A good sign for a restaurant, though.

The prices were determinant on size, with Chrys coming in at a whopping 30 dollars, and Judy, the smallest, coming in at just 5. Nick, despite the aggressive assertion of Caroline about unfairness, payed for all of them.

He asserted that he’d had a job for the last eight years of his life, so, he was in the best position to pay. After being directed to their table, they collected their plates and went to town in the buffet. Judy found some nice vegetable tempura, noodles, and some steamed vegetables that looked too good to ignore. She also saw some deserts on the other table, and quickly decided this wouldn’t be her first run of the tables.

She returned to the table first, followed shortly by Sharla. Nick and Caroline returned together, having an interesting conversation about pred foods, and the long journey of conversion that predators went through due to both treaties and defeats by prey nations.

Chrys returned last, with a mountain for a plate. Suddenly, the expensive price made a lot of sense, in his case. For the first few moments, everyone just dug into the food on their plate. Which, she had to admit, tasted pretty good. As they continued to eat, the odd one out decided to initiate a conversation.

“So, Nick. I hear you’re doing pretty good in your classes. Do you just study a lot, or, what’s your secret?” Caroline pondered between bites, enjoying her fried bugs. It was a good question, although Judy was pretty sure she knew the answer. When you had a police officer for a parent, he was bound to pick up a few things growing up.

Nick shrugged. “It’s not much of a secret. My dad’s a policemammal, and I’ve been working at the Zootopia Police Station since. . . Well, since high school, basically.” Wait, Nick worked at the station? She turned to the fox, becoming extremely curious. She felt a little bad for not asking first, considering. . . Everything. . . But, for some reason, she never thought about what he might have been doing in the years before college.

“Oh, really? What did you do, and how’d you get that job? Also, I wasn’t aware of any foxes on the force, how did your dad get in?” The feline asked curiously, not realizing how deep of a story she was getting into.

Nick just shrugged in response. “My dad’s actually a step-dad. He hasn’t married my mom or anything, but basically, they’ve been together for. . . Well, almost two decades now. He kind of adopted me, and he’s the one who got me my job for the last eight years. Practically fought the chief at the time for it. I worked the front desk with some of the police officers. Fill out reports, complete forms, help direct anyone who comes in off the street, that kind of thing.”

Ah, it all made sense to Judy now. She thought it was weird for any average mammal, let alone a fox, to know the law as well as he did. The caracal was nodding along, encouraging the fox to continue. “See, I started helping my dad with his reports when I was probably about. . . Well, 12. And I say helping, but basically he’d give me blank forms to doodle with.”

Judy smiled at that, imagining a young Nick doodling away on forms with a crayon. “That’s. . . Well, that’s basically it. My one partner at the front desk, Ben, was on there for a while. He taught me a lot when we didn’t have anyone to help. Well, between his Gazelle rants, of course. He’s great. We, until recently, still went to the gym together, and now he’s part of ZPD’s Community Relations Division on the street. He’s so jolly and personable, it’s the perfect assignment. I’m glad my dad put him on it.”

The caracal’s eyes widened a bit. “Your dad has enough influence to choose assignments?”

Nick smiled. “Well, he does know the chief on a personal level. He always comes to our community barbecues that my dad runs, without being asked.” The fox toyed along, causing Judy to roll her eyes. He really had to be a little shit about it, didn’t he?

The caracal, on the other hand, just kept eating it up. “Cool. My parent’s just work at a factory. . . They’re pretty speciesist, so, I kind of did the Interspecies Sociology to spite them. . . I also dated a lot of other species in high school. Wolves, rabbits, foxes, sheep, weasels, lions, tigers.” The caracal stated, as she focused her attention on finishing off her plate.

The rest of the conversation was bland for a moment, before both Sharla and Caroline finished their meal. Both got up for seconds, of course, while everyone else continued eating. But, the two females had barely disappeared when Chrys spoke up for what might have been the first time in the restaurant.

“So. Um. Judy. . . . . . I know Sharla’s into me, but. . . . Well, the feeling isn’t mutual. . . I’m not sure what to do about it. . .” He blurted out, somehow still being the fool he always seemed to be. Of course.

Judy snorted, as she dug into her plate. “Well, I don’t think you have that much to worry about. She’s pretty much over you at this point.” She said with an amused tone, as she watched the wolf’s surprised expression.

“. . . . So, she doesn’t have any feelings for me anymore?” He asked, confused.

“Nope. I’m pretty sure it was just a crush. Although, she did doodle your junk.” The rabbit murmured, causing the fox to snort.

“What?” He muttered, his head turning to the side as an ear cocked up.

Judy grinned. “Don’t worry about it. Sharla is not interested in you anymore, so, you’re free.”

“Oh. . . . . .” The wolf muttered quietly, looking at the table for a moment. “How about you? Are you free, say, Saturday at six?”

Judy looked at the wolf, confused by the question. _Wait, is Chrys asking me out?_ “What?” She asked in surprise.

“I think you’re cute. I’m pretty sure we could have a lot of _fun_ together, no strings attached. Free dinner included.” He responded, with a grin as his eyebrows did a waggle thing.

_What the hell?_ Nick must’ve really convinced him he wasn’t into Judy, if Chrys was so bold to ask that. . . Let alone right now. Judy thought quickly and answered as diplomatically as she could. They were still friends, after all. “Sorry, but, I’m really not into that whole pred/prey thing. You’re a fun guy and all, and I support those relationships wholeheartedly, it’s just not for me. . . But hey, I’m sure there’s some bunny around here who’ll take you up on that offer.”

The wolf looked quite deflated with that, suddenly looking at his plate. “Oh. . . . Okay, that’s fair enough. . .” He murmured, as he played with the last bit of his meal. Nick, on the other hand, was stifling a grin, and trying not to laugh in the corner.

The fox stood up, taking his plate, and placed a hand on Chrys’ shoulder. “C’mon dude, let’s get you some more food. You’ll need your strength after _that_ putdown.”

The wolf looked at him, and stood up with his own plate in hand, a smile appearing. “I’m okay. It’s all good, Judy. Gotta shred that fantasy. We’re all good.” He beamed, suddenly turning back into his cheery self. They departed, Nick chuckling along as he led his friend back to the buffet

Judy shook her head, thinking about how strangely random that proposition was. . .. Did Nick know that was going to happen before hand? Maybe. Probably not. He’d have warned her, right?

She ate her food quietly, as she thought about what it would be like to sleep with Chrys. It might’ve been fun in theory, but if he was as much a goofball in bed as in real life, she wouldn’t be able to stand it. Besides, right now she had Nick, and that was as much as she needed right now. Besides. . . Thinking on how he acted last night, Nick was basically her bitch, and that was a lot of fun.

The caracal approached practically noiselessly, sitting down beside Judy with a plate full of candied crickets, and even more fried bugs. Which, naturally, turned Judy’s stomach. She decided to focus on the last of her vegetables.

“You know the fox wants to fuck you, right?” Caroline barely whispered, knowing full well the rabbit’s ears would catch it. 

Judy spit out a piece cauliflower, turning to look at the feline in surprise. “What?”

The caracal shrugged. “The fox. He wants to fuck you. I mean, I’m not an expert in fox body language, but, he’s either wants to eat you, or breed you, with how many sidelong glances he’s been giving you. Or maybe I’m reading it all wrong, that’s possible. Or maybe your ass is just that great, it breaks physics and has a pull on everyone’s eyes. . . I think even the wolf wants to fuck you.”

Judy sputtered, shaking her head. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m not interested in him. I mean, even if what you’re saying is true, and I seriously doubt it, I’m not interested in being with anyone.”

“Him who? The wolf, or the fox?” The caracal mused.

“Both! I don’t need that problem right now.” Judy shouted, a little exasperated. _Why is she telling me this stuff?_

“Ah, right. . . Well, if you ever decide you ‘need’ that problem, don’t hesitate to invite me along. Either option is a twosome I’d love to make a threesome. Especially the fox, he’s really fucking hot.” The caracal finished, digging into her bug-fest.

Judy, on the other hand, was busy forking an empty plate in embarrassment, her ears flushed as red as possible. First, the wolf. Now this feline wanted to do. . . What? She stood up abruptly, deciding that she needed that carrot cake. “I’ll. . . keep that in mind.”

“Mhm. Make sure you do.” The feline responded between bites, as Judy walked to the buffet table as quickly as she could without looking flustered. Which, was too bad, considering she looked completely flustered anyway.

What the fuck was in the water around here that made people want bunny?

She didn’t return to the table until everyone else was seated, banking that it would discourage both the caracal and the wolf from any flirt attempts. At least she could trust Nick to keep his maw shut at the table, the other two were becoming unpredictable. As for Sharla, when she returned, she seemed a little flustered. Judy was going to ask, but it seemed personal.

* * *

That remained the weirdest conversation of the day, as they returned to school and finished the day’s classes. Nick stayed behind to help a few students out with what to expect on the test, which worked well for their plan not to hang out too much. Unfortunately, that left her going home alone, to where the wolf might be. And worse, what if Sharla had invited the caracal over?

Luckily, when she got home, it was just Sharla and Chrys. Chrys, to his own credit, basically acted like nothing happened, acting like his regular self as he cooked them dinner. He set aside a plate for Nick, who arrived about thirty minutes later. They all went to the living room for some movies, before they split off again to their own rooms as night fell upon them.

Of course, Judy didn’t have any homework, because she usually took care of it in the breaks between classes. Laying on her bed, she smiled as she thought about how she was free of homework for the next few days. Which, was great, considering it was only three more days until the pills were in, and everything could get back to normal.

_Bzzzz._

As if by telepathy, her phone buzzed, lighting up with Nick’s name. She picked up the device, and quickly opened it.

**N: So, how are you feeling tonight? Did last night work better?**

She smiled, and typed her response.

**J: Yes, it worked a lot better. I think it was the fact we stayed together the whole night, but I’m not sure. I’ll need to see you tomorrow, because I don’t think it’ll last much longer than a whole day.**

**N: That’s fair enough. And we really don’t want C &S catching on, especially with only a few days left.**

**J: Right. Thanks again. It’s really helped, a lot. I barely remembered my heat today.**

**N: No problem. Well, if it lasts a whole day, with three days left, tomorrow is my big night. The night where I defeat the vibra-carrot, or not. I don’t care how long it takes tomorrow; I will be victorious!**

Judy snorted at the text, wondering if she should tell him the truth about last night. _Nah, he has a big enough ego_. But, speaking of truth. . . 

**J: So, did you know that Chrys was going to flirt with me?**

**N: Yes.**

**J: Really? Why didn’t you tell me?**

**N: Well, one, you’re an adult, you can turn down unwanted advances just fine. Two, I kind of wanted to see what happened. And the third, I didn’t want to suggest that you can’t make your own decisions on who to have ‘fun’ with.**

Judy nodded slightly. The fox had a fair point. But now to toy with him.

**J: Yeah, I don’t know about that. I kind of regret turning him down. I mean, he’s got a bigger head, that means he must have a bigger tongue, right?**

**N: Bigger yes. But at the same time, less control of that mass. Plus, there is no guarantee that he’d offer you the same deal of obedience. And, I’m pretty sure I’ll unseat your vibra-carrot tomorrow with my new plans.**

**J: You drive a hard bargain, but okay, fair enough. I look forward to your new plans. After all, I win either way.**

**N: And I get to bite that ass. We’re all winners here.**

Judy laughed, although it quickly died when she remembered what the caracal had said earlier. What was it about her ass that made everyone like it? It was really nothing special in Bunnyburrow. And on that subject, should she tell Nick what the caracal said?

That was a difficult question. On the one hand, it would be fair to warn him about that. On the other, he didn’t warn her about Chrys. Nah, the fox didn’t deserve the warning. And, it probably didn’t matter anyway. In three days, it would be over anyway.

**J: I’m going to get some sleep now, so, I’ll see you in the morning.**

**N: Yes, get your sleep. Cause tomorrow night, I ain’t quitting until your vibra-carrot lies defeated, and disgraced.**

**J: Good luck.**

She finished, as she set her phone aside and curled into her pillow. It was a comfy pillow, although she may have preferred Nick’s scruffy neck a little bit. . . Okay, maybe a lot.

* * *

_Six fucking days_. The rabbit thought, as she sat in the clinic waiting room. _Six fucking days past when they’re supposed to be here, and she still hasn’t sent me a message._ Again, Judy sat across from the deer receptionist, foot tapping. This time, Judy didn’t care if she seemed impatient.

Their last night together had been spectacular. She’d really stunned him with the whole ‘commandog’ thing. Although, he said it kind of ruined a bit of the fun. But to her, it meant she didn’t need to start worrying about underwear shopping.

That night, she could barely believe how he made her feel. He wasn’t kidding when he said he had plans, and he really took her comment about his paw ministrations to heart. The myth of foxes being fast learners was certainly true for him. 

Unfortunately, that time she did violently kick him off. He, luckily, avoided actual injury from it. He wasn’t upset, finding it more humorous than upsetting. She had to fight to keep from laughing, after making sure he was okay.

He also learned not to resist her, making it very easy when she rolled him over. Which, she was both thankful for, and disappointed. It almost took part of the fun away, him being immediately submissive. . . She pulled his boxers off without violence that time; they were at least an improvement over the blue ones. Judy was especially glad that he had another pair of underwear.

That time, she really toyed with him, causing him to practically swallow the pillow in his attempts to be quiet. As distressed as he seemed to act during, he seemed very happy with her afterward, although it was yet another pillow that had a few more breathing holes in it. He wasn’t willing to argue her prowess after that, which she took as a good thing considering her lack of experience.

She’d also admitted to him that he’d surpassed her toys. It was their last time together; it seemed a fitting time for truths. Which, was probably a mistake, thinking back on it. He was already so smug about it afterward; it was only going to get worse. At the end of that night, they both agreed that it was fun, but that it was over. And, it really seemed like they could just be friends after. . . All of that.

And then she didn’t get an email all day from the doctor. The squirrel promised to tell her when they were in, or at least let her know what was going on.. Why didn’t she at least get some information about what was going on? After spending every agonizing minute waiting for that, she practically kicked Nick’s door down, and he barely had a chance to ask what was happening before she was on him.

He seemed to understand when she told him what happened afterward and was more than willing to ‘extend’ their activities until she could find out what was going on. She gave it a few days, still waiting for that email. But every day after that, she came to him for some ‘relief’ at night.

Something about being angry just made the heat worse, and Nick was lucky that she didn’t drag him to secluded places during lunch on a few of the days. This was the earliest appointment that she could make, and now, she was going to get answers or there was going to be hell to pay.

“Hello, Judy. Do you want to come with me?” The small squirrel called out to her right, causing Judy to turn and look at her. The squirrel looked calm, considering all the thumping she’d been doing. Which, she reminded herself, wasn’t going to help her get the pills.

She nodded, as she stood up. “Yeah, thanks.” She murmured, following Doctor Jill when she turned and headed for the same room as the last time. Jill hopped up to her seat, as Judy sat down in the nearby chair again.

“So,” Jill began, wasting no time. “I take it you’re here about the heat pills, right?”

Judy nodded, not wanting to speak in case she said something she’d really regret. Her first thought was ‘what else do you think I’m here for, a dental check-up’. That was a little rude, and pretty much framed

“I’m sorry that I didn’t send you an email. It’s been a pretty bad rush around here, but, that’s not much of an excuse. But, maybe it’s better to give you this news in person. Unfortunately, it’s more bad news.” The squirrel spoke softly, causing Judy to shake her head lightly in confusion.

“What do you mean, bad news? What’s happened?” She practically vomited out, confused. She remembered the doctor telling her two weeks, for sure. That’s when the shipment came in. What could’ve happened now?

Jill sighed, nodding her head as she looked at her clipboard. “Well, it took so long to fix the machines at the factory that, there was an extreme deficit across the country, honestly. Bunnyburrow alone took 95% of all the pills they made last week, and they’re still struggling to supply Zootopia proper, let alone way out here in the sticks. They were only able to send me a few bottles, which I had to give to the people who were sexually active. . .” The doctor started, her voice almost becoming a mumble by the end.

Judy, on the other hand, stared blankly forward, looking past the squirrel as the gears in her mind turned. _What the fuck. What the fuck, what the fuck_. She thought, as she tried to think of a way out of the hole she’d dug. Or rather, her mother had, stealing her pills. . . As much as Judy wanted to call her on it, she’d just deny the whole thing anyway. . .

The squirrel took the silence to mean something completely different, although not terribly inaccurate either. “I really am sorry. . . But I had to triage the situation. . . I mean, there are a few couples at the university right now who are going without them at all, and I can barely get the boys to use condoms even some of the time. . . You know how rabbit bucks are.”

“Idiots, yes. . . .” Judy murmured, shaking her head lightly. She wondered if the doctor had met her brother, who she was sure would have a few kits before getting out of college. According to the stories he told their brothers. The truth of those stories, that was anyone’s guess. That wasn’t her problem right now.

“Well, you’ve managed to survive these two weeks, right? I don’t think it’ll take more than a month for them to be able to send us a complete shipment. . . Do you think you’ll be able to last that. . . long?” The squirrel started to ask, causing Judy to let out a pained chuckle.

“Is there something wrong?” Doctor Jill asked, confused suddenly.

Judy bobbed her head back and forth and shrugged. “Um. . . Well, yes, and no. . . I’ll probably make it; it just will be. . . . Interesting.”

The squirrel nodded slightly. “Okay. . . . Um, is there anything else I can do for you today?” She asked, as per standard procedure, obviously.

Judy straightened herself in the chair. It wasn’t originally in the plan, but, at this point, she might as well ask since she was here. “Yes. Do you have an appointment after mine?”

Jill looked at her, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. She turned to the computer and tapped a few keys on the miniature keyboard to bring up a schedule on the screen. “No, no I don’t. Why? What do you need?”

Judy let out a pained huff. “Well. . . That, I guess?” She muttered, lifting a paw and pointing at the poster on the wall. She watched as the squirrel’s head turned, eyes following her digit to the poster. It was still the same one as last time, the same phrases of ‘measure twice’ and ‘ask your doctor first’ in terrible, cartoonish font.

Doctor Orrel looked between the poster, to Judy, and back again, before turning to the rabbit with a surprised expression. “Really?”

Judy shrugged. “. . . Yeah.”

The squirrel stared for a moment, before nodding, scribbling a few more notes on her clipboard. For what, Judy couldn’t even guess, and probably didn’t want to know. With a flourished pencil _tap_ , Jill hopped of the chair, and headed for the door. “Okay then, come with me.” 

The rabbit followed in silence, feeling a little embarrassed. But she was a doctor, right? Who else could she talk to, professionally, about this? Privacy was their thing, after all. And. . . Well, she needed to check. Before something happened, and someone got hurt. . . One way or another.

They headed down the hall of rooms, until they got to the end. There, there was a large door, that had several different sized doors placed within each other. As per usual when space was an option, of course. Above the door, there was a large sign that simply said, ‘The Room’, with a large, unilluminated red light that had the word ‘OCCUPIED’ in threatening font beside it.

Jill opened the medium door, thankfully making it easy for Judy to get through. The door, mounted on pneumatics, closed on itself after they passed through, as Judy took in the sight of the room.

And, it might as well have been a torture room from what she saw. The room was large, but that was mainly to accommodate at least ten gynaecological exam chairs, each of a varying size. Along one wall was various attachments for hindpaws, headrests, and leg length. A huge counter in one corner (with the customary smaller versions beside) had the label ‘measuring tools’, which suddenly had a foreboding connotation.

All along the walls were posters of various ‘endowments’, from equine, feline, canine, ursine, marsupials (various), cervids, bovines and a few others that Judy didn’t even want to know about. One wall alone was dedicated to ‘EXACT SIZE’ representations. 

“Oh, shit.” Judy said, taking in the sights around her. Now she wasn’t sure if it was a torture room, or a sex dungeon. Or both.

The doctor walked to a little switch by the door, flicking it. Judy guessed that was the occupied light, as she also heard a _thunk_ that was likely an electric lock sliding closed. “Yeah, it’s pretty intimidating. But don’t worry, everything will be fine. Go ahead and have a seat in. . . . That one, over there, after you get changed. There’s a changing room in the corner, and it should have some gowns in there. Let me know if you need any help.”

Judy nodded, looking from the chair she pointed out, to the changing rooms across the room. The doctor, on the other hand, headed straight over to the counters of measuring instruments. The metal sounds ringing out as she dug through the drawer were not exactly ‘friendly’ sounds. _Well, no sense in wasting any time._ She thought, plodding across the room toward the changing room.

 

The gown was itchy. It didn’t cover shit. And the chair was cold, uncomfortable, and embarrassing. But the squirrel was along shortly, bringing along a large stool that had a tray for ‘implements’ in it. When they were close enough, Judy caught a look at what was sitting in the shiny tin.

Some looked like they were out of a horror movie. Others, if they weren’t metal, might have been sexual toys of some kind.

Either way, this wasn’t going to be a comfortable experience, that was clear. The squirrel hopped up on the seat, quickly gathering her clipboard from the tray, making a few quick notes before she looked back at the extremely uncomfortable rabbit.

“Okay, so, there’s really only one important question before we get started. What species are you planning to mate with?” She asked, a serious look on her face.

Probably because it was nowhere close to the first time, she’d asked that question. It was the first time for Judy, though. “W-well. . . A fox.”

The squirrel did a slow nod, her eyes showing a bit of surprise. But, if she was, she didn’t say anything. “Mhm.” Jill murmured, as she wrote down a few more things. A moment later, she set down the clipboard, and picked up a weird looking device, with increments on the side. “Okay, let’s get started. Now, this might be cold, but-“

 

It. Was. Cold. Oh, so fucking cold. As were the rest of them, and it was not a fun exercise at all. Judy was pretty sure she saw the doctor pull out a protractor at one point, which, made zero sense to her. The whole time, Judy tried to distract herself by reading the posters around her. Of course, some of them were more unsettling than what was happening to her.

Bold taglines of ‘Thorns: how to reduce discomfort’, ‘Stuck: What now?’, ‘Two heads?’, ‘The Corkscrew: How it works’, and a few others that she didn’t even bother reading. After just catching the headlines, she decided staring at the ceiling was the best option. But, in only a few minutes, the squirrel told her that she could remove her feet from the stirrups and sit up.

Jill was again writing in her clipboard, making Judy wonder about how she ‘checked out’. . . She probably didn’t want to know. It was silent for a while, before the squirrel finally set her clipboard down. “Well, according to the measurements I took, you _might_ be okay. As you know, most canids aren’t exactly a uniform shape. The only way to know for sure if you got your partner, or whoever, to come down and get some measurements taken. That way, I could compa-“

“He’s about one and a half centimetres wide at the largest part, and around six and a half long. The knot is about two and a bit, by diameter. . . Give or take a bit, I didn’t use a. . . ruler.” Judy blurted out, her ears beginning to burn bright red with every word. Over the last few days, she took the opportunity to measure with her paws, which she later measured with a ruler. It might be a little off, but she did make sure to measure more than twice.

At first it was just out of curiosity, but, now that knowledge had a practical purpose. The squirrel, on the other hand, just stared at the rabbit, appearing stunned. Judy looked off to the side, too embarrassed to look the doctor in the eye any longer.

The doctor gave a little ‘wake up’ shake of her head, turned and picked her clipboard back up. She began scribbling with her pencil again for a few moments, tapping the pencil on the board as she looked at the paper contemplative. “Well, according to those measurements, assuming for a slight deviation. . . You should be fine to go ahead.” She shrugged, looking back at the rabbit.

Judy wasn’t sure if she should be pleased or concerned with that news. It was easier to resist the urge when she assumed it was impossible. . . That is, assuming he even wanted to do such a thing. They’d agreed not to go too far before, especially since this wasn’t a permanent thing. 

But so far, this cycle hadn’t showed any evidence of slowing down, and it was already bad. She kept waiting for it to finally hit the next low end, to no avail. If it was a two-week long cycle this time, she didn’t know if she could take it. And. . . With how hard it was getting to keep her ‘satisfied’ for long, she couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t take that next step.

The squirrel noticed her blank stare, cocking her head to the side. “Are you okay?” She asked softly, causing the rabbit to jolt back to reality, matching Jill’s gaze.

“Um, yeah. Sorry, a little. . . Scatter brained right now. It’s the heat. . . I’ll be okay, and, um, thank you. . . At least I know I don’t have anything to worry about, size wise, if anything happens. . . I guess, I’d better go get changed?” Judy asked, smiling at the squirrel. 

“Sure. I’ll meet you by the door, and we can just go over a few advisories before you leave. I’ll go put these in the cleaning bin.” The squirrel said, jumping down from her seat and wheeling it in the direction of the cabinets, while Judy hopped down and headed for the changing room.

Moments later, they both met at the door, Judy feeling still quite embarrassed about it all. The doctor gave her some advice about taking it slow, and not tugging if she got stuck. Apparently, it was a common injury causer, despite all the warnings that the college gave out. She also asked if Judy still wanted to know when the pills came in, which she confirmed. With that, they both left the room together, the doctor lagging behind as she completed her file.

Judy walked down the hall and headed for the reception area. It was unlikely that it would ever come to that. What they were doing now worked well, and probably would be all she needed to get through the next few weeks. And, if it got much worse, she was sure that he’d be okay doing what they were doing more times than once a day. Although when or where that would happen, she wasn’t sure.

She walked past the deer at the reception, giving her a nod as she headed for the exit door. She received a smile in return, before the receptionist turned back to her computer screen. It was good that Judy knew now, with some certainty. Between how ‘into it’ the two of them got sometimes, it was probably better to be safe than sorry. She reached out to grab the exit door handle, suddenly freezing with that last thought.

_Safe than sorry. . . Yeah, I probably should. . ._ She thought, turning around quickly, and making a quick walk into the nearby room. That same, unflattering sign hung over the door, lacking even the slightest bit of shame. When she passed through the entryway, she was amazed with how large the room was, filled with a variety of different sized tables. Above each were arrows, with simple labels such as ‘Canine’, ‘Feline’, ‘Bovine’, ‘Equine’, and several others emblazoned on the walls, large arrows pointing to the respective tables.

On each table were several baskets, each with different species’ names on them. Judy thumped up to the canine table, certain that the vulpine species would probably be over there as well. There were a few tables underneath the arrow, and luckily the table she needed was not too tall for her. Although, any higher and it would be. She looked like a child reaching into the cookie jar and felt just as sheepish.

She stuffed a handful into her pants pockets, flipped up the hood on her sweater, and made a walk that was almost a run out of the room. _Better safe than sorry_. She thought, bursting through the clinic door, and heading for her dorm. She’d hide them in her room, and if needed, at least they would be nearby.

* * *

When Jill left the room, she filled in a few boxes in the paperwork she had. Then, she headed straight for the doctor’s offices, carrying her clipboard protectively under her arm. She slipped in the small door, into the large shared office space. With how many check-up rooms were necessary, there was barely a closet left for all the doctors when construction was completed.

But usually, that was enough, as the four office tables that existed were almost never full. There were only two on staff today, her and Janet, a red panda, who was busy sipping coffee at her worktable.

“Hey, Janet.” The squirrel chimed, hopping onto the counter as the panda turned to face her.

“Oh, hey Jill. Anything interesting today?” Janet chimed in her cheery voice. She was always cheery; it was almost creepy, sometimes.

Jill snorted. “Oh, you know. . . Nothing surprising. Except. . . Today, I did an ‘interspecies intimate relationship’ check up on a female rabbit.”

The red panda turned her whole body to her quickly, sipping her coffee loudly. Janet loved gossip, and especially loved hearing what all the college students were ‘attempting’. They didn’t have much to talk about some days, so, it was really all they had to amuse themselves with. “Really?? What’s her fancy?”

Jill smiled, shaking her head a bit. “That’s the really juicy part. Get this: She’s thinking of sleeping with. . . . a _male fox._ ”

At that, the red panda stood up straight. She turned, set her coffee cup down, and turned back to her squirrel friend. “A fox. . . . . You don’t mean to suggest?”

Jill grinned wide. “That male fox, that I did the same check on two days ago, for rabbits? Who backed out when I asked if his partner could come in for a double check?”

“That can’t be anything more than a coincidence, right? I mean, there’s lots of foxes here, and definitely lots of rabbits.” The panda said, offering alternate theories. The way she was leaning forward suggested she was more interested in the other odds.

“Oh, I don’t know. . .” Jill murmured, as she brought up the clipboard and turned it to her colleague. “I think she did a fairly decent job describing his _specifications_. . .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd say some 'with great power, comes responsibility' quote for Judy's actions in the bedroom, but, responsibility is hardly involved.
> 
> But, there you go, the next chapter. Complete with a fairly 'revealing' End Credits scene, how about that? As well as several pieces in motion. Now, we've got a somewhat deflated Chrys (but, is that going to be the end?), and a fairly forward Caroline mixing into the group to stir some things up. Will Caroline get her wish? I don't know, honestly. But, look forward to her and several new shenanigans coming soon.
> 
> And, of course, the world is still not right in the land of proper medication. As if I was going to end this after just two weeks, after all. . . . But now, Judy is left to consider*ahem* _alternate_ forms of medication. . . Will she need them? 
> 
> And yes, Clawhauser has been directly affected by the timeline altering. Chaos theory takes no prisoners.


	9. Even Buns need support sometimes. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> So. It's been awhile. And I guess I owe everyone an explanation for that.
> 
> Unfortunately, there is a lot to it, and there were actually three distinct things getting in the way of my continuing this chapter. It's only fair if I tell the truth.
> 
> First, my freetime has been pretty much screwed as of late. Between school, work, volunteering, and attempting to survive in between, I have had little to no oppertunity to do anything with this story in recent months. I have court classes that absorb all my time as I fight to prove or disprove a case, or even to make up a case from scratch. Assignments dog my days, and my nights I work as a security guard at a company that has either fired or transferred people 6 times since I started, leaving me having way more shifts than I can handle with my other committments. Its stressful, terrible, but I managed to cobble this together recently. This transcript existed for months, and it took me this long to actually write an end to the chapter.
> 
> Second, I made a promise to a friend. They, basically, were doing something to hurt themselves from a myriad of things that are not going to be expunged here. I made a deal with them that if they did that again, I would never write again. Already, you know what happened, they did it again. I've literally had three classes devoted to why doing that kind of a deal is not a good idea. I won't go into detail, but the dumbest thing is that I made my mental wellbeing part of the wager. I write for my insanity, not for anything else. And I staked it on a whim. Well, shit, right? I staked the very thing that makes me sane, and now I lost it. A plan born out of the fact that I really care for the person, and I really wanted to be friends with them for the rest of my life. Cool motive, still a stupid devised plan. Now, I'm just flaling around and trying not to die. I am trying as hard as I can to fix the relationship on my own. But sometimes I feel very alone, and that's a wonderfully burnout-related issue. Eeesh, onto less emotive crap.
> 
> Third, I actually had no idea where I wanted this to go for this chapter. Sure, I know what I want to do for the next week, or the next month, or winter break, or semester two, andjustwaituntilsummerbreak, but right now, I had no fucking clue. It took me awhile to work it out, but, I decided to go this way, much to the chargrin of some people I am sure. Don't worry. All rivers flow to the sea, so, we are still treading our way downhill.
> 
> So. I was torn. Continue, dont, do I have time, do I know where I am going, this statement is false, does a set of all sets contain itself, insanity in a box. Either way, this is based on a real instructor, similar conversations, and the general state of policing across the globe. Not the chapter that was expected, but the chapter that was needed, a feel-good one.
> 
> But, I'm alive. I'm here. This is here. And I am continuing this story. I make ZERO promises when the next chapter is coming out, I don't even know what it's about.
> 
> Disney owns everything. Including my soul and mental health. Hopefully they care for it.

The little shop could barely be called much more than a kiosk attached to a textbook store. But how else was the college going to push their annoying, expensive, self-branded merchandise? Unsurprisingly, the College took advantage of the thousands of students that passed through here for textbooks to push their own stuff.

Nick had to stifle a snort every time he came across yet another attempt by the college to take even more money from him. _Because tuition is never enough for them, is it?_

Watanobbi College coffee cups, shirts, pants, bags, pens, notebooks, traveller’s mugs, and even headphone sets; all branded with Watanobbi or the like with the additional X amount of dollars that they tacked on. 

And, of course, the ‘iconic’ hoodies that no college or university in the land would be without. When it came to most college students, offering those hoodies was like selling popsicles to lemmings; once you get one, you get them all.

Still. They were nice hoodies. And, after all, Watanobbi did go to the extent of having course names also sewn on, that was also cool. Nick and Judy had come in earlier when they were picking up some optional textbooks, and both agreed that having a criminal justice hoodie would be neat.

Of course, the mammals who ordered the hoodies never expected to have such small animals in their program. The only sizes they had that were ‘close’ were a wolf’s small, and that certainly was not going to cut it for Nick, let alone Judy. Let alone the price difference compared to the right size was staggering.

With no other option, they had to order theirs in. And, in true Kiosk style, their assumed finish time was ‘we’ll call you’. Now almost two months into the semester, they finally called.

Now if only the person who received the order had decided to tell their student hires where they’d put the box. It had been ten minutes of them wandering around the backroom looking for it, and Nick was getting bored. So bored that he began considering buying some of the useless crap. He shuddered at the thought.

_Bzz-Bzz_

He pulled his phone out, relieved for the distraction. A soft grin appeared when he saw the name flash across the screen. After their last class in the morning, they had a few hours before their Communications class. Instead of spending it wandering, though, Judy had made an appointment to find out what was going on with her doctor, and he’d mostly just wandered around the library before he remembered that he needed to pick up the sweaters.

To be honest, he thought that she’d have been back by now. How long did it take to get a prescription? Their break was almost over at this point, and no word from her.

It was somewhat unfortunate that their ‘thing’ was coming to an end, he had been having a lot of fun. But it was destined to end from the beginning, and Nick had accepted that before it started.

At least now Judy had gotten answers, and hopefully pills from her doctor. Nick regretted nothing. He unlocked his phone, clicking on the message alert with certain expectations. Instead, his eyebrows slowly lifted as he read on.

**J: Okay, so bad news. Still no pills. The doc is now saying a month. Which is all kinds of ridiculous but arguing is not going to do much good. So, basically, I’m fucked for a month. I know this is, again, wildly past what we originally agreed to. But, if you are willing, I would like to extend this FWB thing for another month.**

Nick frowned. After all that time, the doctor didn’t think to call her and let her know? Just left her hanging, knowing nothing about what was going on? And why in the hell did it take so long just to tell her that she didn’t have the pills? It was disappointing, and he was starting to wonder how reliable that doctor really was.

Frankly, wouldn’t it be easier for her parents to buy some in Bunnyburrow and get them sent here somehow? He’d brought that idea up before, but she said her parents wouldn’t send it since they were the ones who hid her first one in the first place. As much as the thing was ‘fun’, he still felt bad for taking advantage of her biology.

That was never his intention, of course, and he’d voiced his concerns a few times. Every time, she brushed it off, telling him that she wasn’t incapable of making her own decisions, and that she made a conscious and willing decision to use him as a relief valve. She always had a way of making him laugh. . .

Nick grinned as he reread the message and began to type a cunning response. She would be so- 

_Bzz-Bzz_

His phone vibrated mid-thought, and mid-text, causing a frown as he read the new message.

**J: Don’t make a joke about that ‘I’m fucked’ comment, or you’re off the menu.**

She liked acting like she didn’t want to hear dirty jokes, yet she always made them whenever she could. Nick was starting to feel she just didn’t like others stealing her bits.

**N: Fair enough, no joke. We can extend it if that is what you want. But only if that is what you want, I am okay if you just want to end it. No feeling hurt, and I don’t want you to feel like I’ll be mad if you wanna stop.**

**J: It’s the most appealing option, so yeah, I will take that. Willingly. Remember I am fully and willingly consenting to this, Nick. Don’t worry about that.**

**N: Okay, sorry. I must make sure, y’know.**

**J: I know, and it was cute and nice the first fifty times. The next time, you’re going to get punished. Somehow.**

**N: Well, I hope it’s kinky.**

**J: Asshole. Where are you?**

**N: I’m still at the Wabbakiosk, waiting for them to find our hoodies. They’re having a lot of trouble for being the ones who called us.**

**J: Ha, sounds about right. Class starts in thirty minutes, so they’d better hurry up. If you want, I’ll grab your bag from our locker and meet you at the store?**

**N: Yeah thanks. I’ll see you here.**

The college assigned lockers based upon where a student’s classes were, and the Justice Wing’s lockers were primarily for larger animals. Because of that, the locker that Judy got was a wolf’s locker, and it was way oversized for what she needed. It was practically a broom closet to them. So, they shared it, for practicality’s sake.

**J: K. Be there in 10.**

With that, he shoved his phone back into his pocket, and resumed perusing the shelves. Naturally, there was a lot of stationary there, and he began wondering if he wanted to buy some pens or something. Maybe a few highlighters. The amount of times that Dave specifically pointed at the board and said ‘you might want to remember this’ was extremely high, and so far, he’d just been putting large stars in the corner of his notes.

But just then, he picked up the sound of paws padding up behind him His ears flicked back, and he turned to face the approaching mammal.

Behind him, holding a bag in one hand was a female arctic fox, wearing an apron. Probably an employee? Or, perhaps someone randomly wearing an apron, what did he know. Either way, looking down at her face, Nick couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere.

“Hello!” She said cheerily. It wasn’t the same employee he’d talked to about the sweaters, but maybe she was the one who knew where they were. But then, how did he know her? And then, his eyes finally caught her nametag, and Nick suddenly remembered where he recognized her from.

“ _Oh_ , hello Nukia! Long-time no see. . . You work here?” He sputtered out, barely convincingly. 

It had been about a month since that party at the start of the year, and he never did text her. . . This probably wasn’t going to go that well.

“Yeah, I got the job a few weeks ago. Helps with the loans. And yeah, it has been quite a while. . . I mean, I did give you my number, right. . . ?” She trailed off, as she crossed her arms. But her face looked more upset than angry now.

Luckily, fox’s were quick thinkers. “Yeah, I texted the number I put in my phone, got some rhino who was very confused. I thought you gave me a fake number or something. Or, maybe I just didn’t read the note right, I’m bad at understanding handwriting sometimes.”

She seemed to cheer up a little at that. “Oh. Well, didn’t I give you 555-2041?”

“ _Oh_ , one? For some reason that looked like a seven to me when I put it into my phone. No wonder I couldn’t reach you. . .” He acted embarrassed, scratching the back of his head. It was not the best lie he ever came up with, but on the fly it might work.

“Well here, we can fix that now.” She pulled out her phone. _Crap._ “Text 2041 and I’ll make sure it comes through.” 

Big crap. It wasn’t like she was not nice or anything. But getting into a relationship with the ‘friends-with-benefits’ thing going on was not a good idea. . .

“Okay.” He said, cursing himself. This was going to get bad. Although, technically, there was no agreement to date, see each other, or even talk to each other later, right? He pulled out his phone, pretending to change the number assigned to ‘Nakia’ in his phone, and texted her a simple ‘hi’. “There, did it go through?”

He hoped it didn’t, but that was very unlikely.

 _Ding_. “Yep! There, now you have no reason not to text me. . . I mean, I am pretty free this week.”

He smiled reflexively, as a part of him died inside. “Well, I am not too sure about this week, but maybe we will be able to figure something out in a little while. I’ve got a lot of papers and group projects in the air now, and we are barely even halfway into the semester yet.”

She shrugged, still smiling. “Then, we’ll figure it out later. Oh, and here are your sweaters! . . . Who was the small one for?” She asked, as she extended the bag to him.

He took it as gently as he could, trying not to betray his desire to flee. Or panic. Since Nick and Judy paid ahead of time, there was little incentive to stay here and not run. But he needed to stay calm here. “It’s for my friend, she’s also in my classes.”

The arctic fox seemed a little surprised. “A rabbit in criminal justice, that’s odd. I mean, even odder than a fox. . . . Well, maybe she’ll learn some useful skills that she can apply in other jobs.”

Nick wanted to snap at her, but there was a time and place for everything. And, as he saw Judy walk through the entrance, he quickly decided that this was the time to flee. “Oh, there’s my friend now. I guess we’ll talk later, I’ve got to go off to class.” He said, as he smiled and abruptly turned, headed for the door.

“O-okay! Text me!” Nakia yelled after the fox, loud enough that Judy’s ears would have picked it up. Even outside the store. He would have to text her later, let her down gently or something.

She was standing with his backpack in her hands, a small smile on her face as he approached her. He lifted the sweater bag up, gesturing at it with an exhausted expression. She let out a light chuckle, shaking her head.

“Here, take your heavy shit, we’ve gotta hurry if we want to get to class early.” She said, holding his bag out to him. He eagerly took it, as they both exited the store and headed through the winding halls of the college.

They’d barely begun walking before Judy broke the silence, looking up at him with a snarky smile. “So, the girls literally _are_ giving you their number unprompted, huh?”

He felt his heart sink. “Well, to be honest, that was the same one from that party. . . I didn’t text her after, so. . . that was a pretty awkward conversation. . . Apparently she really wants to go out.”

Judy nodded. “Fair enough. . . She’s cute, I guess. . . Although, a bit clingy from what I saw.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well, with our ‘situation’, it doesn’t matter anyway. I am not looking for a relationship, as I told you. Let alone, like you said, damn clingy just for talking about going out. . . And, she made a few closed-minded comments about a rabbit being in policing, so. . . Yeah, not that interested.”

“Oh. . . . Y’know, it’s pretty speciesist to be okay with you being in here, but not me.”

Nick nodded. “Yeah. . . What a bitch.”

Judy couldn’t stop her laugh.

* * *

Wolfsei, their Communications instructor, was entertaining most of the time. He always had funny stories and made sure to get the class up and engaged physically as well as mentally. Judy and Nick had already done a presentation together where they needed to talk for five minutes about one element of communication in public safety.

They did well overall, although they both were more nervous than they expected. But the class today was more about the book stuff than fun. They had a test coming up, and the teacher played a game where he threw a ball around the room that had questions on it. Wherever your hand landed, you had to answer that question before you threw it.

Of course, with the wolves and cats in the room, it was pretty much a game of ‘fetch’ that turned to an all-out war. Still, it was very fun. Nick managed to grab it once when one of the wolves fumbled, although in truth Nick was also ‘grabbed’ by the elephant in the room. He got a question on paralinguistics, which was one of his favourite parts of non-verbal communication.

After his question, he did a ‘fumbled’ back-pass to Judy, who had been standing right next to him at the time. To be fair, she looked like she was about to pounce on both the ball and him as soon as he arched his arm back. Her question was on proxemics, which was also fun, if you remembered the ranges for each.

In the end, the class passed way quicker than they expected, and soon they were packing up their bags to leave. Next class was the test, so Nick and Judy hung around a little longer to talk to Wolfsei and asked a few questions about what was on the test, and some of the concepts they were having difficulty with.

Which was basically none, but it was always worth going over some of the more complex points. And points that were not actually tested on, but interesting.

They followed him all the way to his office, which was conveniently by their lockers. He brought out a keychain, and suddenly chuckled a bit while shaking his head.

“You know, I am really surprised that you two are in this program. I know they opened it to everyone, but still.” He commented, as he went through his keychain looking for the right key.

Nick’s eyes narrowed, as Judy quickly spoke up. “What do you mean?”

The teacher shrugged. “Well, no disrespect to your step-dad and all. . .” The wolf gestured to Nick, as he selected a key. “But smaller mammals have little to no place in the police, really. Maybe as translators and as community helpers, but, other than that you don’t have the mass or the strength to face what real police do every day. I mean, what are you going to do against a rhino?”

Judy immediately crossed her paws. “Well, I think you might be underestimating us. I mean, we are the top students in the class.”

The wolf shrugged in response. “Class theory is one thing. But recruiters look at more than just your marks, even if the entry requirements have changed. No self-respecting recruiter is going to put you or their police force at risk by hiring you. It’s just the way of things.”

“What about all the ways we could help, though? Most cops I know can’t step into Rodentia without shutting down traffic and causing destruction on a massive scale. It’s not really a police force for the people if it doesn’t represent the people they serve, right?” Nick added, echoing statements he heard Bogo use.

The wolf just shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong, it would be nice if you got in. But I don’t think that the service will make a habit of hiring people like you. Anyway, I’ll see you guys next class. Make sure you study for the test, eh?” He said, as he slipped into the office and closed the door.

Nick looked down at Judy with a pissed-off look, getting the same reaction. Nick’s turned to a grimace, as he remembered his father telling him about what he’d face there. The buffalo had a knack for being right. . .

* * *

Judy didn’t say anything about what Wolfsei said on the way to the dorm. In fact, she barely responded at all to what Nick was saying. 

He, on the other hand, couldn’t stop speaking. Personally, he said a few things along the lines of ‘What does he know’, ‘He’s an asshole’, and ‘my father never liked him, and I see why’. Which was the truth. Bogo always hated him and may have been part of the reason that Wolfsei retired early.

Despite his words, Judy did not really seem that interested in listening. She marched forward in silence, ears back, as she opened the front door deftly. Nick followed in silence, as she set the bag with the hoodies on the kitchen table and went into the living room.

He didn’t see her sit on the couch, but the soft ‘plop’ was telling enough. Nick continued around the corner to the sight of a disheartened bunny, with her hand resting on her chin as she reclined back into the deep, plush couch, her backpack sitting on the couch beside her.

An utterly, and completely dejected bunny. Not a sight he thought he’d ever see, nor wanted to see for that matter. He froze for a second, wondering if she might prefer to be alone. But of course, his rational thought had other ideas. Nick walked over and sat down softly beside her on the couch, watching the rabbit for any non-verbal signals. Luckily, it seemed like she didn’t shy away from him sitting there.

Which, that was good, because he probably would have ignored them anyway. “Hey. . . Are you okay?” Nick asked tentatively, as he racked his brain for the best way to handle this situation. As if such a thing or process existed.

“Yeah, I’m okay. . .” She responded, lifting her head and turning towards him with a smile. But Nick could clearly see through it.

Nick shook his head, with a huff. “Eeeh, no, I don’t think that’s true. . . And I don’t think what Wolfsei said is true either. I mean, you should’ve heard what my dad’s said about him. Apparently, he’s a real piece of shit.”

Judy left out a tiny chuckle. To Nick, a glimmer of hope. “Yeah. . . But what if he is right? I mean, my parents, that arctic fox, and now even a former police officer doesn’t think I can make it. That we can make it. . . It was a lot of money to come here and fail.”

Nick was already shaking his head lightly at her words. “They don’t believe in us, but I do. And Dave does. And I’ll bet you money my dad would believe you can make it, too. He always thought Wolfsei was the most useless cop on the force.”

He could see Judy fighting the grin, fighting the smile. Exactly what he wanted. “But what if the recruiter who gets my file is like Wolfsei said? I mean, I know Dave thinks one way, but how many officers still believe that the old ways are the good ways? Answer: A lot.”

There the rabbit went, bringing up legitimate and good points again. How much he both hated and liked her for it. It wasn’t easy to like when it was used against him cheering her up. “True. But what if it ends up in an officer like Dave’s hands? What if you make your application so stellar that ignoring it would get someone fired?”

She shook her head, clearly relaxing a bit as the smile began to win out. Unfortunately, it did not change what she said very much. “We all know it’s an ‘old mammals’ club in there. They all protect their friends’ tails when they get caught. It’s a pretty big battle to even get past the first step, Nick. You’re one thing, the chief’s son. But me, I’m nobody to them.”

She was going to make him work for this one, wasn’t she?

* * *

Finally, the invariably good-mannered fox seemed to lose a little bit of his ‘hopeful steam train’ vibe. It was really killing her ‘pissed off and moody’ vibe. She’d suffered through comments like Wolfsei’s before, from her own parents, from her siblings, and even from Gideon.

It was never a big deal. She’d get a little dejected, unhappy, and then she’d resolve to be better and prove them wrong. It was the way that she kept her drive going, by getting kicked down. And usually, it worked well enough. 

With Gideon, with her parents, with even her sibling. But now she had Mr. Happy Pants over there trying to make her feel better, and it was annoying.

But, hitting him with a few facts seemed to change-

Wait, why was he grinning? Her internal sneer of success started to fade, while his toothy maw just kept getting wider. “What?” She asked, pre-emptively defensive.

He let out a laugh. “I obviously don’t have the words to change your mind. . . . But I think know who might.” The fox spoke, as he rifled in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“What are you doing?” She asked, leaning forward on the couch. Who was he going to call? Dave? That’d be a dick move, and not likely. Wait. . .

“Calling my dad.” He said, as he quickly tapped on his phone and held it to his ear. Her ears could hear the dial tone start its ring.

Her heart started beating rapidly. His dad? “W-wait. Don’t do that.” Chief Bogo? Why was he calling him? Why was he involved in this conversation? He wasn’t going to make her talk to him, would he?

She started to reach out, hoping to snatch the phone from the mischievous fox. But the sound she heard come from the speaker made her freeze, as a loud _click_ completed the connection.

_“What is it?”_ A gruff, deep voice demanded through the speaker. It sounded like Bogo’s voice on the news, but with that slight off-ness of a phone call. She immediately winced and started gesturing at the fox to stop, and not say anything.

The responding grin eliminated any hope of that. “Hello, dad. I’m sorry for bothering you, ] I’ve got a friend here who doesn’t think she’s fit for joining the police. She’s being moody about it, not listening to me, and thinks that what Wolfsei’s says should be taken as truth. . . She’s a good friend, and she’s being an idiot.”

A loud snort sounded on the other side of the phone. And then, she heard the last thing in the world she wanted. _“Pass the phone to her, Nick.”_

More than anything, she wanted to smash the grin off his muzzle, as he held out the phone to her. She just might when all this was over. For a second, she was not sure if she should pick it up or not. But then, refusing a call from the Chief of Police seemed stupid. . .

She gingerly picked it up and held it to her ear. “Y-yes, sir?”

_“Are you committed to becoming a police officer?”_ Chief Bogo’s voice boomed, demandingly. No introduction, no hello, no greeting. For some reason, that seemed like Bogo’s style.

She cleared her throat, nervously. “Yes, sir.”

_“Why do you want to be a police officer?”_

“To make the world a better place, Chief Bogo sir.”

_“Either Chief Bogo, or sir. Calm down, miss. How important is the community to public safety?”_

“Very important, sir!”

_“Are you physically fit?”_

“Yes, sir. Fitter than your son, sir.” Judy interjected a bit of humour, hoping to cut through the tension. She gave a sidelong glance to Nick, who grimaced in response.

Silence hung over the line for a moment. Immediately, she began to regret it, and almost said something before the Chief’s voice resumed.

 _“Tell Nick he needs to double up his exercise then . . . Now, why do you think you cannot be a police officer?”_ The fox heard it and rolled his eyes in response. Judy couldn’t help a small chuckle, before the serious question made her pause.

That wasn’t a question she wanted to answer. But, refusing sounded like a worse plan. “Well. . . I don’t know. . . My family doesn’t think I can. . . And, so does most of the people I’ve ever met. Including Wolfsei. . . . I am a rabbit, so. . . I guess it would be a first. . . And unlikely. . . I’m worried I won’t even get considered.”

_“A rabbit. . . Hmm. You’re in Dave’s class, right? Does he like you?”_ He asked, sounding stern. She looked to Nick, unsure. Did Dave like her? Nick was nodding along, and she couldn’t really argue.

“Yes, sir. He seems to like me, I think.”

_“Dave only likes people worth his time. If you’re worth his time, you are worth mine and the ZPD’s. And Wolfsei’s so speciesist, he was one of several who received a ‘letter’ when I became Chief. . . Listen, miss. . . What’s your name?”_

“Judith Hopps, sir.” She responded, unsure of what was going to come next.

There was another heavy pause before the bovine continued. _“Ms. Hopps. . . It does not matter what Wolfsei thinks. Or what your parents think, or anyone else for that matter. Not me, not Nick, not even Dave. What matters is what you think. What you believe. And that’s what matters to me as a recruiter. That’s what you must convince me, or any other recruiter of. Do you understand, Ms. Hopps?”_

“Yes, sir.” She said, thinking on what he said. Judy never had a problem with believing in herself. In a world full of doubters, she found it easy to find her confidence internally. Was that really the most important part?

_“Now, Ms. Hopps- That’s H-O-P-P-S, right?”_

“Um. . . Yeah?” She said, nervously.

_“I’m taking down your name, and I’ll keep an eye out for it when you apply- I am sure Nick will keep me informed. . . If what you’re worried about is one of my recruiting officers ignoring your application, I will see to it that does not happen. Let Nick know if you think your application is being ignored, and I will review it **personally**. If you’re half as good as I think, then you’ll get an interview, and maybe a job. Fair enough?”_

Nick was busy smiling in the corner, as she stared at an indeterminate spot ahead of her. “You don’t have to do that, sir. But, thank you for the encoura-“

_“I am going to do it anyway. If someone side-lines your application for no good reason, then he’s going to be canned. They’re bigots, and I don’t need those people in my agency. You might have just given me a way to weed them out. And, I am not saying you’ll get hired. An interview. Nothing more. And nothing less. Now, if that’s all, can you hand the phone back to my lagging son?”_ He said, his voice turning suddenly gruff at the end.

“Yes, sir. And. . . Thanks.” She spoke, before taking the phone and holding it out to the fox with a glare. Yes, it had made her feel better. But that wasn’t what she’d wanted in the moment, and she certainly didn’t need to be put on the phone with the Chief of the fucking Zootopia Police Department against her will. As soon as he got off the phone, he was going to get his furry tail beat.

The fox aimlessly took the phone back, smiling like an idiot. He was an idiot. A big one. He put the phone to his ear and spoke melodically into the microphone. “Yes?” 

_Asshole._ She thought, before she watched his face suddenly sink, and his smile disappear. She could barely hear Bogo on the phone, unable to make out a single word as the buffalo spoke. Unlike before. . . For some reason, he’d lowered his voice. . .

_Wait. . . He did realize I was a rabbit. He knows I can hear him_. She thought, letting out a little chuckle. That was fair enough. A private conversation with his son was probably warranted at this point, likely about getting off his ass and exercising.

Hearing just Nick’s side was amusing, anyway.

“Yes, dad. . . . Well, no dad. . . . I mean, I guess I’ll have to explain it, uh, a little later maybe? . . . . . I can text you. . . . . No, don’t get mom involved. . . . _Sigh_. . . . I’ve got to go, okay? . . . Yeah, tell mom I miss her. . . . I’ll talk to you soon.” He finished with another big sigh. “Ugh.” He grimaced.

She flopped up onto her knees on the plush couch, sitting back on her heels with a somewhat sweet smile. One ear lay back, the other alert as she watched the fox. “What’s wrong, Nick?”

He looked over at her, confusion forming in his eyes as he looked at the rabbit. He smiled weakly, clearly unsure of her intentions. “Nothing. Just, du-“

_Thud_. The sound of her backpack smacking across the fox’s face was so sweet, it was like music. “HOW. DARE. YOU.” She shouted, sternly. She was suddenly glad that no one else was home now.

He was surprised, but he quickly grabbed the backpack in his paws, trying to hold her from hitting him again. He succeeded, but only because Judy had made her point. “Hey, it helped, didn’t it?”

“YES. WELL, NO. MAYBE. That’s not the point.”

“Well, what is the point?”

“The point is. . . . Whatever. . . Give me that.” She said, pulling the backpack from his paws. Too many secrets were in that backpack right now. . . Secrets the asshole didn’t need to know about yet.

He shrugged, leaning back into the couch. “Well, if that tirade is over, what do you want to do now? Sharla should be back sometime soon, but Chrys is going to be out for a while, apparently. They’re doing some charity thing with the richy-rich people, serving them wine until they spend a lot of money on charity auctions.”

Judy shrugged, pulled out her phone, punched in a query. As the results showed on the screen, she smiled. _Perfect_. “Well, I’m going to jump on the bus, I’ve got some shopping to do. I’ll be back later and maybe we can all watch a movie together. If Chrys is back, anyway.” She said, gathering up her backpack.

The fox looked displeased. “You want a ride, or, something?”

She shook her head. “Nah, I’m good. I mean, my parents got me that bus pass, I might as well use it, right? I’m not going to be long, anyway.” Well she had no idea how long she was going to be. Either way, Nick did not seem that satisfied with the decision for a moment.

But then, he turned his attention back to the television with a shrug, grabbing the remote and turning it on. “All-right. See ya when you get back, I guess.”

She smiled and started to walk around the corner. She stopped as a thought came to her head, causing her to grin and look back at the fox. “Well, if you wanna drive me, I’ve got just one question. . . . Bogo’s a buffalo. . . And your mom’s a fox. . . How does that-“

“Uh-uh, nope, I am not talking about that. If that’s the case, go get your shit, Carrots.” He said, shaking his head violently as the Netflocks icon appeared on the screen. Judy laughed, as she headed for the door. _Still. How does that work?_

* * *

A few hours passed before she came back. Looking at her watch as she opened the door, carrying one reusable bag on an arm, it flashed 6 pm at her. She had no idea she was gone that long and wondered if anyone had come home yet.

The shopping adventure had taken multiple trips, but at least she found everything she was looking for. For some of the things, it wasn’t easy. And. . . She found other things. Thank god her parents weren’t watching her debit card that closely anymore.

Judging by the noise in the living room, a movie was being played. But, instead of heading right for the living room, she quickly hopped up the stairs, going straight for her room. Nick’s door was ajar, and the sound of the movie being paused or muted in the living room confirmed the fox was still there.

She opened her door, and quickly pulled a box from her bag and threw it onto her bed. With a quick body twist, she slammed her door and started padding her way back down the stairs with the rest of the fabric bag. Judy wouldn’t be needing that anytime soon, and she got enough looks over her buying it at the store. Nick, he didn’t need to know anything. Yet.

When she reached the bottom, she could see the fox standing in the entryway of the house. Instead of his typical shirt, though, he was wearing his new dark blue hoodie, emblazoned with the Watanobbi College crest and the words ‘Criminal Justice’ in red. It seemed a little small on him, not very baggy like a regular hoodie.

She suddenly got concerned about the size of her hoodie. If they screwed up on his. . .

“What took you so long, Carrots. I got through like, two new seasons.” The fox lied with that simple, con-mammal smile of his.

She smiled and pulled out a smaller plastic bag from within. “Y’know, if I’d know it was so hard to find blueberry flavoured carrot chips, I would’ve brought some from home. I went to three supermarkets, only one bothered to carry them. What’s wrong with this city?” The rabbit mused, as she walked into the living room past the fox, carrying the grocery bag and chips with her as she went. As she passed the corner, she was disappointed to see that no one else was there.

His brow furrowed, and he shook his head at her. “What, no other kind of chip would do? You really are picky, aren’t you?”

She snorted. “Hey, you should be glad I found them at all. You’re the one obsessed with blueberries, aren’t you? Maybe, _maybe_ , I’ve found a way to finally make you eat carrots.” Blueberry flavour was common in Bunnyburrow. She’d had them before and had a feeling the blueberry thief would like them, too. He’d raided the fridge one too many times of her blueberries.

The fox chuckled, and suddenly his voice dropped its volume. “I don’t know about that claim, I eat Carrots all the time. . .” The demonic grin appeared again, and she felt her ears flush as she fought an embarrassed smile.

Naturally, he’d say that, wouldn’t he? “Shut up, slick. Before I do something we’ll both regret.” She murmured as she sat on the couch, setting the large grocery bag beside her. Not that she had any idea of what that threat was for.

Looking ahead, she saw some movie was muted on the television, one she didn’t recognize. “Where’s everyone else?” She asked, as she pulled out a few more movie-worthy snacks from the bag.

He sat back down beside her, the remote still dangling from his paw. “Sharla’s upstairs, studying for a test she has tomorrow. She politely declined to movie night. Chrys is probably still at the event, I have no idea when he’s getting home from that. . . I figured we could watch a few movies, then probably best to get some sleep before our class tomorrow.”

She nodded, popping open the bag of blueberry chips. “Yeah, she seemed pretty stressed about that earlier. She’ll do fine, though. At least on genital anatomy questions, I suppose. Here, have a chip.” She said, holding out a single, blue-dusted carrot chip.

The fox leaned away for a moment, giving the chip a curious look over. He reached over and took it, giving it a curious sniff. She rolled her eyes, as he finally took a nibble of the chip. Finally, he took a bite.

She watched his face for any positive reaction. Unfortunately, all she got was a little nod, and a shrug. “Not bad. They’re pretty good as far as snacks go. Although, I have had better tasting carrots. . . Like, rabbit-flav-“

_Thud_ , her fist sounded off his shoulder, as she let out a sigh. “Still not funny the second time, Nick.” 

He shrugged. “Had to.”

She shook her head, as she focused on the moving picture in front of her. “What’s this?”

Nick, thinking she wasn’t watching, quietly picked up the bag of blueberry flavoured chips and began snacking on them. She wouldn’t call him on it, but she still smiled. “Oh, it’s a cop comedy film, pretty old. It’s like, the eighties. A bunch of ‘not that good’ recruits in training proving their worth. Funny, heart-warming, etc.”

She nodded, as he paused it. “Sounds funny, and low mental commitment. You wanna start it over?”

Nick shrugged, clicking through the menu and hitting the start over button. “Sure. The first one’s the best, anyway. The sequels are fun, but don’t live up to the original.”

Judy looked over at him. “How many sequels are there?”

“Like. . . . Six?”

“Six? What show is this?” She asked, surprised.

“Police University.”

A fanfare started on the screen, as it opened on the image of a skyscraper heavy image. _Ah, the eighties._

 

After the first one, Judy determined that the sequel needed to be watched. It was fun, relevant, and somewhat decent considering it was an eighties show. 

She’d slipped on her hoodie, an act that the fox was all too glad to comment on. Especially since it was tight as hell. She wasn’t entirely sure what they thought when they ordered it, but it was practically for a child in her opinion. Apparently, the person ordering forgot the mammals ordering them were adults. But it was comfortable at least.

Around the third one, Judy’s plan for the night was set aside. . . Probably the for the best, anyway. The movies were pretty fun. She was still a little mad at him, and she was also tired from running around all night.

It got pretty late. She got tired, and so was Nick judging by how many times that large maw yawned as the night went on. It was amusing to watch, although the glint of those teeth was still unsettling. She could understand why her ancestors feared foxes.

They made a dare: whoever stood up the longest would get an unnamed reward to be decided later when they had the mental energy to do so. Which, was perhaps the riskiest dare to make. . . She personally figured she’d win. She was so accustomed to late nights studying in High School, it was nothing to her.

Eventually, she couldn’t take it any more as her eyes became extremely heavy. Finally, she turned to Nick, about to tell him to turn it off. Except, as it turned out, Nick was snoring softly beside her, his head hanging sleepily. She snorted at the sleeping fox, shaking her head softly.

 _Well, I can’t carry him to his bed. . . Maybe I’ll just leave it on_. She thought, as she turned her gaze back to the movie. The characters were in the middle of a boat race, trying to get their Chief back. She clicked the button on the remote, revealing only eighteen minutes left on the clock. _I’ll stay up and finish this one_. She thought, punctuating it with a yawn. It was only eighteen minutes, right?

* * *

The room was very dark, save for the dim lighting of Netflock’s ‘Are you still there?’ screen. The hour was late. Very late. Nearly the next day, in fact.

The fox was still sleeping, snoring quietly. He seemed so peaceful. On the other hand, the rabbit, who was leaned into him, drooling softly onto his shirt, was snoring a little louder. There were open and empty chip bags everywhere, with little crumbs dotting the couch. The grocery bag was laying at the foot of the couch, a few things still inside.

A dark figure stood in front of the television, looking at the image in front of them. Internally, the person was chuckling. _Not attracted to each other, my ass_. They shook their head, bending down to pick up something out of the bag on the ground, their curiosity piqued.

As they read the receipt, their eyes widened. _That’s interesting. Very interesting._.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I'm back, sorry it ended there, mysterio is back, who is it, yada yada, I'm going to bed. If you notice a mistake, feel free to message me and make me feel terrible as I likely don't change it due to laziness/tiredness.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and thanks to all those returning. I'm sorry for my absense. But now I'm shutting my brain off and taking a mental nap. See you hopefully sometime again this month.


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